Surrender
by Comana
Summary: Alternative ending to the Star Wars: The Clone Wars episode Revival, leaving Obi-Wan in considerable danger.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Alternative ending of The Clone Wars episode Revival, leaving Obi-Wan in considerable danger

Spoiler alert: Contains spoilers for the Clone Wars episode Revival and a few others

Disclaimer: You all know that Star Wars and its characters belong to George Lucas. I would never dare claiming them for me.

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Obi-Wan felt the roof collapse behind him and the two Sith. Now that they were his problem alone, he stopped and turned around. Maul misinterpreted his turning around for fear. "Surrender. We are two. You are no match for us both." he snarled.

"You are mistaken." This sentence, while being uttered in a relatively low sound level, was spoken with all the more certainty. It clearly was not what the Sith expected. They were thinking of an easy prey like they had last time they fought him.

But he had changed. He would not give in to his hate like he did that last time. He had trained with Anakin a lot because he was determined to eradicate his shortcomings on Theed. It was his fault that this Sith had the possibility to come back and he would not let the whole galaxy pay the price. There was already another Jedi that had fallen for his cause and if he could do anything about it, it wouldn't be more. He cast a small sad glance to Adi's lightsaber, and although it hurt him he turned his mind back to the task at hand.

He was definitely not going to surrender. He felt the force rush through him, he knew that he could defeat the two Zabraks. The events of Naboo would not repeat themselves.

The Jedi ignited his and Adi's blades and took a defensive stance, expectant of the red blades of his enemies. As they came, his mind was deeply incorporated by the force, letting it flow through him and guide him in this very effective but exhausting form of Soresu with two blades. He slashed out, blocked, force-pushed and blocked again, participating in a deadly dance. His feelings were not completely under control. He began to enjoy the swift moves, the unbreakable wall of light that surrounded him, enjoying the freedom and the power he felt when he realized that he could really best the two Sith. More and more, he was not the calm center of the storm but blizzard-like extensions of whirling light breaking free of that storm. He was delivering a mean strike to Opress, leaping around and attacking Maul, then ducking from the blow that aimed for his neck. But such kind of fighting took a toll on him. Besides the expansive swings he was delivering, he was also feeling his strength decrease with every violent strike he had to parry.

Then, as it had to happen eventually, Obi-Wan's concentration slipped and he recognized too late that Maul force-pushed him in the air and sent him slamming against the wall. He landed there in a heap, but the force screamed at him to raise his sabers against the two red blades aiming for him. He did so but knew that he was cornered. Soon, his strength would fail him.

But he saw an opportunity. Opress' knee, which had already taken a few blows from him was in his range. Seeing this clear pass of escape, it was too late for him to notice Maul's intentions. Suddenly, Maul switched off his red blade, bringing Obi-Wan to nearly impale his foot with his own saber, but his force-enhanced reflexes saved him. While still holding Adi's blade against Opress' dual-bladed saber, he felt an alarmingly chill feeling between his neck and his shoulder. "Surrender" he heard the cold voice repeat, noticing that Maul was pressing his unignited saber diagonally against his neck. Now Opress was retreating, but that was not helping him, for his next move would inevitably end with a lightsaber through his neck, heart and whatever vital organ it would meet on its way.

Obi-Wan had no option. He might have been killed in a fight with these two monsters, would eventually have taken one of them with him, and would have gone into the force as it was his destiny. But now that he had a choice, he would not choose death. Oh, he knew that surrendering would eventually lead to death, he had never met an individual that was so obsessed with his revenge, but as long as there was a possibility of escape, he would take that choice. If only to have the chance to avenge his fallen friends. But those were no thoughts of a Jedi, he knew. He released them, as he released the grip on the sabers. They clattered to the bottom leaving a hint of finality in the air. He felt weak. It was the second time in not more than a month that he had gotten himself into the grasp of the two Siths.

"I knew you were a reasonable one" Maul said with his yellow eyes boring inside Obi-Wan's but he would not back down.

"If I were a reasonable one, I would have cut you in half lengthwise"

He saw the eyes grow a shard darker but he did not get a response. Obi-Wan understood. They had already had that conversation. He saw Maul nod to Opress, and felt his head brutally gripped by animal-like claws. He could not do anything as his head was slammed into the battered wall. His view blurred, but his head was knocked against the wall a second time. That was when the world blacked out.

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Authors note: This is my first fanfiction ever, and since English is not my native language, I want to apologize for time or spelling mistakes. I hope you enjoy the story, and reviews are greatly appreciated, be it praise or criticism (but I guess you know which one is preferred...). Other chapters are on the way.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Thank you very much for the reviews. I didn't think I would get any, so you can understand that I'm pretty happy. Here comes the next Chapter, who could think that it is so difficult to write dialogues? But anyway, I hope you enjoy it and please review.

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**Chapter two**

On Coruscant, the Jedi Council was assembled, Anakin Skywalker standing in the middle. "I really think I should go and search for Obi-Wan and Master Gallia. They should have contacted us 20 hours ago. They might need reinforcements."

"And by these reinforcements, yourself, you mean? If happened something has to them, we do not know. Unclear about it, the Force is."

Mace Windu cast a glance to the oldest council member. That statement did not really help to solve Skywalker's problem, but when has Yoda ever said something explicitly? But the Troll was right, during the last years, it became increasingly difficult to feel the Force. Or maybe not really difficult but different from before. It was rather fogged or veiled. Every Jedi could feel it, at least at the back of their minds.

But Mace's musings were interrupted by a message that was played. Damn, he should be more mindful, one year ago, his concentration would never have slipped that gravely. But nobody seemed to have noticed, for there was the hologram of a Weequay in the middle of the room. He spoke with a heavy accent:

"Well, are you the Jedi-guys in charge?" he did not wait for an answer. "Next time two of your red-sabered offspring want to make a break in Florrum, you better contact me, Hondo Ohnaka, leader of the pirates on Florrum than sending Kenobi with only one assistant"

That got him the attention of the whole room, and he visibly enjoyed it. He leaned back in his seat, and an ugly monkey-lizard took place on his shoulder. Mace would never understand how one could take a thing like that as a pet, but seeing it on the Weequay, he changed his opinion. To some people it obviously fit.

He chose to take action: "Masters Kenobi and Gallia were at your planet to fight the Sith? They have not reported back yet, do you know what happened?"

"Maybe I know something" Ohnaka responded while flashing a grin like a hungry Karkarodon "but as I already told you, I am a pirate and for us, every information has its price."

So that gundark wanted to make money? Mace cast him a deadly glare most fellow Jedi would have searched for the next emergency exit had they received it, but Ohnaka seemed unimpressed. Maybe his stare lost something over the holoprojector. The pirate continued: "But as Kenobi helped me out a bit, you get it for free this time"

The other councilors seemed relieved, nobody wanted to bargain with the pirate.

"You know, these two horned red-lightsaber-guys wanted to steal my fellow pirates. I guess they are really rich because my pirates get a lot, almost as much as me...so there is this battle and Kenobi and the other Jedi come and fight against the horned guys. Some time, we made a tactical retreat and Kenobi was joining us. He told me that the other Jedi was killed..."

That evoked a gasp and some murmurs among the Jedi. Many glances were cast at Adi Gallias empty seat.

"...and then Kenobi said we should lock him with the two crazies and I should take care of the pirates, which I did."

Mace changed looks with Yoda. They were both wondering if the pirate told them the truth or if he had on full purpose and without consent locked Obi-Wan with the two Sith. But on the other hand, it was Obi-Wan they were talking about, if somebody would cage himself with two Sith in the hope of saving others, it would be him. Stupid, stupid, stupid...he should have retreated and leave it to others to hunt them down, but he would not criticize him as long as he did not know about his fate.

"The reason why you help us, this is, hmm? Feel you owe Master Kenobi, do you?" As Yoda spoke to Ohnaka, his smile grew wider, but he had enough self-preservation to not make a comment on his syntax.

"Well maybe, or just because I'm sorry for him...you know, being prisoner of the maniacs and all..."

Oh no, that developed totally in the wrong direction.

"Prisoner? What does that mean?" Mace asked.

"Well, when I persuaded my renegade pirates back, we planned to rob the maniacs ship. But as we came out of the cave, we saw these guys heading for said ship. The yellow one was carrying Kenobi unconscious over his shoulder while the other just stared at us. I asked them why they wanted to take Kenobi with them, for he clearly is just a big annoyance to watch out for, and that they would be better off without him – you know, I made this experience for myself once – but they did not see reason and walked off. Me and my pirates decided not to follow, we had other business to do."

That were grave news, but the Jedi still had to locate them.

"Do you have any idea where they were heading?" Mace asked. He did not expect an answer, but the pirate surprised him again.

"I'm not sure, but they have a pretty old barge to fly with and my men told me they did not stop for fuel once. I guess there are only two solar systems they can reach to refill their fuel cells – so if you're lucky, you might get them."

"We will send somebody to search for the Sith. Adittionally, we will send someone to take Master Gallia's remains back to the temple."

Ohnaka looked as if he was going to object, but Mace's stare finally showed effect or the pirate was more reasonable than he seemed to be, for he nodded his acceptance. "But don't expect us to clean the planet up for you. Nice talking to you Jedi, but I have business to do."

And without further comments, the hologram disappeared.

Mace's glance fell at Skywalker. He seemed barely composed. He began speaking with a slight tremor in his voice:

"We have to rescue Obi-Wan! Force knows what the Sith do to him. And Maul clearly has unfinished business with him. Send me to search for him, I will find them."

Yoda answered: "And do what after that, you will? Angry you are, at the Sith. Sure you are, that overcome that anger when you found Obi-Wan, you can?"

Skywalker looked uncertain. It needed a lot of time, but finally Skywalker seemed to understand that he was not infallible and that he could not solve every problem. Still, he had a solution: "Let me search him, and as soon as I get a location, I will report back and you can send reinforcements."

Mace knew exactly where the little trap in that suggestion lay.

"And if the Council decides to send you back to the temple, will you comply?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

Skywalker looked even more uncomfortable. He seemed to fight an inner battle, which the rebellious Anakin lost. "If the Council would send me back, I would concede their judgement."

At least something.

Yoda spoke again "Good. Send you we will to find the Sith and Obi-Wan. Leave now, much time, there is not. Your Padawan, take her with you, you will."

Anakin objected again: "I'm not sure if that's a good idea, it's a pretty dangerous mission and all...I think she's not experienced enough."

"Dangerous, your mission is not. Only finding them your assignment is, forget already, you did?"

An embarrassed Skywalker looked at Yoda "No, I didn't. I will go find them." He bowed formally and took his leave.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: So, this chapter was more difficult to write than I thought it would be. I hope you like it, and if you do so, you know where the review-button is.

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**Chapter 3**

Why did he always get the most uncomfortable beds while flying through hyperspace? Force, it was nearly as hard as the floor. He opened his eyes. Bad idea. The light stung in his eyes, reverberated in his skull and cast multiple echoes of extreme headache. How could he get such a headache? And while checking his body, he found it pretty sore, including a numb right arm. He tried to move his arm to get back some feeling when he realized to his horror that his arms were tied together. Sithspit, how long had he needed to realize that? Obviously, he was growing old. But back to the task at hand: Where was he? And why?

At least his first assumption that he was in hyperspace was confirmed by the low humming of the hyperdrive generators and the particular way the Force felt here. And while sinking into the Force, he immediately knew that something was not right. He remembered. Adi Gallia was dead. Because she wanted to help him deal with Maul and Opress. Because he had not killed Maul beforehand. But there is no death, there is the Force. He clung to that piece of the Jedi Code until the dark tremors in the Force vanished.

So he was now in the hands of the two Zabrak Sith. That was...disadvantageous. He had to get out of that situation as fast as possible. But first, he would find out what exactly that "situation" was. So he slowly tried to open his eyes again, and he managed to the stage of narrow slits. At least he could make out schemes now, but the headache he got for his trouble was extremely painful and additionally slowed his thoughts.

Slowly his eyes accustomed to the bright headlights and he could survey his cell. It was not even a cell, but a converted storage room. Besides gray durasteel walls and a door with a broken sensor – well actually more sabotaged than broken - there was nothing to see.

With a small nudge of the Force, he briefly affirmed that the door sensor on his side of the wall was dead - no surprise there, the Sith knew how the Force could be used.

When he could not make out neither a way to escape nor a direct threat, Obi-Wan settled on searching his surroundings in the Force. With the help of the wall, he heaved himself in a sitting position to meditate. But that proved to be a lot more difficult than under normal circumstances, because the blood was slowly flowing back into the arm he lay on for Force knows how much time. And although his head was not sending shards of agony through his body, like when he had his eyes open, it still pulsated loudly in his ears and hurt like hell. Almost as much as when he was given that special drink on Phindar he did not dare to decline. Qui-Gon was very busy the next day telling him that for a fifteen year old, it was no breach of protocol to refuse alcohol, especially if it was only given to him for entertainment. Of the Phindians. And Qui-Gon. He suffered for years of the story his Master constantly rubbed under his nose. As a half-smile tugged at Obi-Wans lips, he remembered Qui-Gon and his affinity for the Force, which he had to some degree taught to his padawan.

Slowly, he sank into the Force, listening to its deep murmurs. He could slowly feel a near presence . Aboard the ship. From the presence leaked some undefinable smoke – or dust...it felt strange but also familiar, as if it was somehow belonging to the Force and somehow not. It was entwined with dark thoughts, and at times, he felt a flash of anger through that smoke. That had to be Savage Opress. He felt uncontrolled and surely hadn't been taught very long or thorough in the use of the Force. He still had to learn how to shield himself right.

Obi-Wan sank deeper into the Force, in search of another presence. He nearly didn't find it. But then, he made out a soft shimmer of the same undefinable smoke he found leaking from Opress. It was barely detectable, and not entwined with feelings, but it was there. So Maul was on the ship, too. That was unfortunate. If he could somehow get to a lightsaber, he could maybe overpower one of them, but in his weakened state, he would not be able to fight them both off again.

He had to escape differently. It would really help if he knew what Maul planned to do with him. Did he just want to kill him slowly how he claimed on Raydonia? Obi-Wan did not think that was all. Maul seemed to have certain plans, and seemed to be fully restored to sanity. And on top of that, he seemed to get as calculating as Count Dooku. Maybe that was a requirement for a Sith Lord, even though he could not find that trait in Opress. On the other hand, Opress was still learning...

He was distracted from further brooding by the hissing of the door. Darth Maul walked in, in all his robotic-legged glory.

"Kenobi," he said.

"Maul," Obi-Wan nodded his head in acknowledgement.

The Sith only raised his hand as an answer, as if he wanted to grip something invisible. The result was a tightening on Obi-Wan's neck. It grew stronger until he was not able to get any air inside his lungs. Maul was moving in his direction, a satisfied smile on his face. When he approached, Obi-Wan was slowly lifted from his cross-legged position, sliding up along the wall. He wanted to reach for his neck, but it was impossible with his hands bound behind his back. Darth Maul was now in close reach, and his eyes bore into Obi-Wan's. He could see the hate in the yellow eyes, longing to break free.

Obi-Wan's lungs screamed for air, but all his attempts to breathe were in vain. It was the same dark power Ventress had already used on him. He had no idea how it could be stopped. Maul seemed to have read his thoughts. He came nearer, the smile transformed into an evil sneer.

"Where is your light side now, Obi-Wan? Is it so weak that it can not even overcome a simple Force-choke?"

It was a rhetorical question, Maul could clearly not expect an answer from the suffocating Obi-Wan. Their faces now nearly touched. Obi-Wan could see the red ring around the yellow iris, as if Mauls torn soul was bleeding into his eyes. These eyes now watched his more desperate attempts to breathe with a sick delight. Obi-Wan felt his heart clang at an alarming speed in his ears, and black spots appeared in his vision. Anyway, he kept his eyes on the Sith. He knew that Maul would count it as a triumph if he looked away, and he would not give him the satisfaction. He would not die on the conditions of the Sith.

Suddenly, Maul furrowed his eyebrows, as if he felt Obi-Wan's resolve. With an angry stare, he lowered his hand and backed away.

Obi-Wan sank to the ground awkwardly, not able to move his arms to support his body. He drank the air in thirsty gasps. It felt like the best air he ever breathed. Nevertheless, it did not seem to suffice for his body and the black spots in his vision were growing larger. He heard Mauls voice again, holding him in the here and now.

"Not so talkative anymore, are we?"

Obi-Wan won the battle against unconsciousness, but he still needed all his air to stabilize his circulation, so he could not give a pointed answer. Not that he could think of anything right now anyway... he felt a warning from the Force, right before he was slammed into the corner. Obi-Wan's joints and bones complained at the rough treatment, but thankfully his head was spared.

However, Maul was not done with him yet. He lifted his hand again, and it was clear that he would throw Obi-Wan around again. The Jedi prepared to counter with a Force-push, but his attempt was futile. He was too weakened by lack of oxygen to build any barrier that could withstand the angry Sith before him. Until he was lifted into the air and saw the malicious joy on Maul's face, he was not even sure if the Sith noticed Obi-Wan's feeble attempts.

And he hit the wall again. Hard. This time his back, followed by his head hit the durasteel wall. It surely more felt as if a seismic charge exploded in his head and he could not prevent himself from a pained groan.

He heard the clanking of Maul's robotic legs on the floor, then a face appeared in Obi-Wan's periphery vision. The Jedi tried to sit up, but he was inhibited by his throbbing head and a metal claw that pressed down on his chest.

Maul bent his leg, shifting more weight on Obi-Wan and evoking a small gasp. The tattooed face came uncomfortably close again when he hissed:

"You will never cross my plans again."

"Maybe it was easier if you just made better plans," Obi-Wan croaked.

"You can try to be smart as much as you want, but you will not escape me this time."

Maul turned around after giving Obi-Wan a last shove with his claw. When the doors hissed close behind Maul, Obi-Wan's adrenaline level slowly decreased. He flung around so he was lying on one side. That encounter was quite fear-evoking. He knew that he should not be afraid of death, but it was not death that he feared but the consequences. Oh, the world in general would not be concerned, another Jedi would replace him in the Council, but he feared for Anakin.

His former padawan had already shown that he would be obsessed with his revenge. He never told the Council what exactly happened during his undercover mission as Rako Hardeen on Nal Hutta, but he had never felt Anakin that much out of control. Anakin would have done nearly everything to avenge the death of his former master. He had walked on a thin line between light and dark that time, and if Anakin had gotten one push into the wrong direction, he might have fallen. It was a very unpleasant time after the mission, full of silent reproach and mistrust. However, they overcame it and Obi-Wan had been very grateful for that. But now it seemed as if the events could repeat themselves. He just hoped that Anakin could cope with his actual death, should the matters be carried to an extreme.

But that were no thoughts for now. As Maul clearly wanted him to stay alive a little longer, he might get the chance for escape. He would just wait until some sort of opportunity presented itself. Like Qui-Gon taught him. He just hoped that when the moment came, he would still be able to run.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Yes, here comes another chapter. A big thanks to the-writer1988 for the correction of the spelling and grammar mistakes in the older chapters. And also a big thanks to all the people who reviewed. It's always good to get feedback. Enjoy!

**Chapter 4**

It was cold in the spaceship. Like it was always out in space. The last times he was in space, he did not realize it in the heat of various battles, but now, with Obi-Wan missing, it seemed as if the cold of space and the shivers of fear melted together to a big glacier around his heart.

At least he was not alone on this journey. Ahsoka's presence was comforting. It was as if he concentrated more on his Padawan when he did not want to concentrate too much on his Master. Anakin was distracted by her presence and that helped him more than he would admit. If he had been alone in the shuttle, thinking of what could happen to Obi-Wan, or worse, what could already have happened to him, he would go down the same dark spiral he already had when he thought that Obi-Wan was dead.

He was sure that Yoda, that conspiratorial little troll, had sent Ahsoka with him on full purpose. He had no idea how that gundark managed it, but Yoda seemed to be able to look inside his head with an alarming easiness. Ahsoka was here to distract him, but she was also here as some kind of insurance for the Council. They knew that he would not go head over heels into danger if she was at his side. Damn Jedi Council. They didn't think he was capable of finding Obi-Wan and reporting back? Well, he surely was, he was not a youngling anymore. He was very well capable of doing what he was told.

"Master?" Ahsoka interrupted his thoughts "You`re brooding again. It's only five minutes till we come out of hyperspace."

"Thank you, Snips."

"Obi-Wan will be fine. He gets out of every sort of situation, you said that yourself."

"Yes Snips, I know...it's just that he is alone out there. And after the last encounter with Maul, he was pretty battered. I know that he can normally look out for himself, but this situation is anything but normal, even for his standards."

"I'm sure he will manage. And we will find him. Didn't you say that you had to make the he-saved-your-live you-saved-his-life count even again? That's a good opportunity, isn't it?"

Anakin smirked. He had nearly forgotten that game between him and his Master. Even if they had differing opinions on what counted as life-saving. But that was only once. He decided that when he found Obi-Wan, he would withdraw the incident on Cato Nemoidia from his list.

That moment, they came out of hyperspace. It was a small solar system, there was only one inhabitable planet and many asteroids flying around.

Nevertheless there was a small fuel station in the orbit of the planet. It looked like one of these gyros he played with as a kid. The station had a particle shield. He saw that when an asteroid nearly collided with the station, but disappeared in a hail of fire before it could hit the station.

"We'll try that space station," Anakin said. "You'll contact them for docking clearance."

"Yes, Master."

Anakin flew the shuttle toward the station, avoiding two asteroids on the way. It was almost funny how inert and slow they were. The last times he was in space, he had to avoid much faster and much deadlier things. The asteroids seemed so unimpressed by the war that they could nearly be envied.

Soon, they were docking on the station and Anakin went to leave the shuttle with Ahsoka.

Two green-skinned Rodians greeted them. One of them spoke, stretching the words a little longer than they should be:

"Welcome at our space station, I am Reeno and this is Tar-Ho. We are the owners of this station. What can we do for you?"

"We need some information about your recent customers," Anakin answered.

"Oh, I'm sorry, but we do not interfere in the private business of our customers, I'm afraid we can't help you."

Anakin didn't like that answer, and neither did Ahsoka. He decided to put his cards on the table. He shifted his posture a bit, so that the Rodians could get a glimpse of his lightsaber.

"We are only interested in the business of the Republic, so you better answer our questions."

The Rodians exhanged a probably worried look, it was hard to tell with these big dark eyes of them, but they seemed to agree. Reeno was presumably the speaker of the two, for he spoke again:

"Well, that is something different, I guess. What do you want to know?"

"We are looking for two Zabraks who refueled here," Anakin told them.

"Zabraks? What is - "

"Two tattooed and horned guys," Ahsoka interrupted in her blunt way. "One black and red, the other one black and yellow. And the red one has robot legs."

Tar-Ho's and Reeno's expressions changed and they nodded.

"Yes, they were actually here a standard day ago. They were pretty scary. I was relieved when they departed again," Reeno said, confirming Anakin's suspicion that he was the speaker.

"Did they have somebody with them?"

"Not that I know, but maybe there was somebody on the ship. We have always done well in not meddling with our customers private business, so we don't know if they travelled with somebody."

Yeah, Anakin already knew that. If people were not strong enough to fight against evil, they simply let it happen, trying not to attract attention. But he could not resent their attitude. On Tatooine, nearly all the slaves lived their lives after that mantra. As soon as you stood out, it could get dangerous for you.

The ice around his heart seemed to stretch its fingers further inside. Anakin slowly saw his chances of finding Obi-Wan slide, but he was not ready to give up yet.

"And did they mention anything? Like some place they wanted to go?"

"Well, after the few dismissive words the robot-legged guy said to us, we let the droids do the work and kept a safe distance."

The ice now bore inside his heart, but instead of cold, he felt hot anger spread through his body. Cowards. It were people like them who dragged the war on. People like them he was fighting for every day, but they were not even aware of it and if you asked them, they would say: _I did not want anybody to fight a war for me. _Fierfek, they were in the Republic and they should be happy about it. They did not have any guess about how life could be. But instead of supporting the Republic, they preferred to stay neutral. And so the war had to go on. He had lost so much during that war. And now he could probably again loose one of the most important person in his life. And these two Rodians were responsible for it.

Ahsoka looked at him, aghast. And then he realized. He had done it again. Instead of releasing his feelings into the Force, he nearly let them take over. Suddenly, all his anger vanished. Realizing that one walked quite too near the dark side of the Force could cool down somebody better than a blizzard on Hoth. He collected himself, gave Ahsoka a reassuring forced smile and continued his questions more composedly.

"Okay. Do you have any means to monitor your customers? Even if you don't meddle in your customer's business, if they double-cross you, you should be able to realize it and recognize them later. So?"

The two Rodians exchanged some words in their language, then Reeno answered:

"Yes, we do have a surveillance system. It records the whole station. But it is only visual. And you are lucky that you came so soon. Tomorrow, the video would have been overwritten by the new recordings. I'll show you."

The two Jedi walked in the dull gray corridors behind the Rodian duo. Anakin didn't want to be too hopeful for he couldn't bear the disappointment should the holograms be of no use. However, he had a spark of hope again.

Ahsoka apparently knew what he was feeling and did not disturb his thoughts with talk. Or she was still concerned of his earlier emotional outburst. It had been nothing visible, but she was connected to him over the Force, and the Force was a much more accurate indicator for emotions than the eye. He would have to talk to her about it later. Or let Obi-Wan do it. Anakin never liked the theoretical lectures about the Force, whereas his Master could barely be stopped when he began lecturing about the different disquisitions some ancient Jedi Masters made about the Force and its connection to emotions. He just had to find him in time.

They were now entering doors with a security code. Inside was what seemed to be all the mechanical stuff of the station. The room was stuffed with control boards for gravity, air-circulation, lighting, the security-system and much more. Tar-Ho went to a console, and after a short time, a holovideo of the station appeared on top of the console.

He fast-forwarded the vid until an old freighter appeared. Anakin saw the two Sith disembark and talk to two smaller versions of the Rodians. Then the Rodians went away and a large fueling-droid went to the ship's filler cap. After short time, the robot went back to the station and the Sith departed.

But Anakin had seen something. The Sith talked to each other. There had to be something useful in their conversation. It was his only hope.

"We need a copy of the whole part with the Zabraks," he said when he saw the ship in the video fly away.

Tar-Ho fiddled a little with his console and put the video on Ahsoka's datapad.

"That would be all, thank you for your help."

After that and some bland regards, the Jedi made a formal bow and left two relieved Rodians.

* * *

On board of the shuttle, Anakin quickly took the part of the video that he wanted, enlarged it and put it in a loop.

"So, you know somebody who can lip-read?" Ahsoka asked "I mean, we don't even know if they speak Basic or some Zabrak language."

"I know. Call Padme."

Ahsoka looked unconvinced, but did as he asked. "I didn't know that Padme could lip-read," she cautiously inquired.

"Oh, she can't, but there is somebody else who can," Anakin grinned.

A hologram appeared. Like Anakin assumed, it was not Padme, but C-3PO. Before the robot had any chance to greet him, Anakin spoke:

"Threepio, I need your help. Can you tell me what these two Zabraks are talking about?" He pointed at the hologram playing beside him.

"Master Anakin. What a pleasure to see you," C-3PO could obviously not override his cordiality circuits, but then he watched the video and analyzed:

"There are 364 possibilities of what they say, depending on the language. There are 254 languages that would accord with - "

"Just try Basic and Zabraki," Anakin interrupted before the robot could gain momentum.

"There is a 98 percent possibility that they speak Basic and a 6 percent possibility for Zabraki."

"Good. Tell us what they say in Basic."

"They seem to talk about their next goal. One asks the other where they will go now. The other one tells him that they will go to a planet, where he did a part of his training. He is asked again where exactly they will go and he says Tiiar-32 or TER-32, I am not able to differ. He also tells him that they will continue his training there, and then the other agrees."

Anakin felt as if a whole load of stones and ice fell from his heart. He finally had a location to search for Obi-Wan. Ahsoka looked similarly relieved.

"Thank you, Threepio," she beamed.

"Yeah, thank you, you were a great help. And send Padme my regards," Anakin added.

"I am always glad to be of assistance. Senator Amidala is currently in a Senate meeting, but I will -"

The robot was again interrupted when Anakin simply hang off. As happy as he was about the help, he still had to find Obi-Wan and he was in a pretty hurry. Ahsoka cast him an indignant glance, but she already had gathered information on her datapad.

"I've found the planet TER-32, it's not listed as inhabitable planet. The file says that it will be destroyed in about 500 years, and for that, nobody seems to be interested in it."

"Good. Enter the course and then contact the Council. We will find Obi-Wan."

It felt good to finally have a trace to follow. All the previous uncertainties vanished and he had something to concentrate on. But at the back of his mind, one thought still gnawed at him: The Sith had not lost a single word about Obi-Wan.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Obi-Wan jerked out of his meditation when he felt something change. They left hyperspace. It was already the second time and Obi-Wan wondered if it would be just another short stop or if the ship finally approached its destination. He did not really look forward to their arrival. But at least, he would eventually come out of this dull room where he could do nothing but meditate and simultaneously worry about his situation.

However, he also knew that said situation would worsen drastically as soon as they arrived.

He shifted to find a more comfortable position, but his body complained anyhow. One could only sit on one's knees for a certain amount of time. He guessed that since his capture, two or three standard days went by. And because he did not dare to sleep, he already was pretty exhausted. The positive thing was that his head did have time to heal and he was no longer plagued by headache.

The Council would by now have heard about the incidents on Florrum. One member dead and another one missing. It were tough times for the Council. For all Jedi. Since the Clone Wars began, everybody has had his share of losses. Obi-Wan still shivered when he thought of all the Jedi who died on that horrible first day of the Clone Wars on Geonosis, to save him. In his dreams, he still saw their bodies lying in the arena, their blood swallowed by the thirsty sand.

Enough. He had to stay focused.

He took one deep breath and released his guilty feelings, his sadness and his fear into the Force. Now he felt empty, for there was nothing to concentrate on. He stayed in this state of mind for some more time, then he felt another shift on the shuttle. It began with a soft creaking of the ship's durasteel, then it felt as if the air became thicker and tried to push him to the ground. He knew that feeling. They were entering the atmosphere of a planet. Finally.

After a short while, the ship landed. Obi-Wan felt the two Zabraks approach, he had stayed aware of their auras in the Force. Then the door opened. Maul stood in the entryway.

"We are there. Get out."

Maybe it was not a good idea to answer him back, but his situation was already unthinkably bad, so what had he to lose...

"Well, I'd rather not, since you have invested so much effort in my current accommodations, and I would not dare being impolite to my hosts." Yes, really wasn't a good idea. Maul's hand grabbed his hair and jerked Obi-Wan to his feet. He was forced to look into the yellow eyes again, Obi-Wan's neck cramping at the awkward position.

"You either walk, or I'll drag you all the way. And let me tell you, this planet would not leave much skin on your frail body."

With the last word, he sent Obi-Wan flying into the corner and the air went out of his lungs.

"Well, then I shall go," he managed, and murmured to himself: "I kind of like my skin."

Obi-Wan used the wall to get up from his place on the floor. His legs did not feel very steady.

He blamed it on the long time in the room. Sure, he had done some katas during his captivity, but with both arms behind his back, it was not very satisfactory and all the exercises seemed to be the same. Additionally, he had lost his balance more than once due to the fact that his arms were immobile. He had not given up, but he could have been more enthusiastic about it.

Now he had to suffer the consequences. He left the wall and immediately felt assailable. Nevertheless, he walked to the door where Maul waited. The Sith stepped aside, and then followed close behind.

In front of Obi-Wan, Opress took the lead. When they neared the boarding ramp, Obi-Wan felt odd. The Force was strangely murky and dull here.

As soon as they left the ship, he revised his earlier assessment. It was not just the Force that was strange, but the whole planet. He had never seen something like that planet before, despite his work-related expertise with them.

The ground consisted of some sort of metal. In fact, there was nothing to see besides that metal. And it was shaped into strange formations. Everywhere, there were sharp cliffs and pinnacles, reaching to unexpected heights. They seemed desperate to leave the planet, but never able to, for they were a part of it.

The low sun sent her rays toward their group, and cast menacing jagged shadows which coalesced with the dark metal, painting an even more threatening picture of the planet.

As far as he looked, he could not find any smooth spot. Just shards and spikes in every size. And some more complex, skillfully formed formations that recalled the memory of old tribal art he had seen once. Now Obi-Wan understood that Maul really meant his previous threat. The planet looked as if it wanted to slice every living being to pieces.

"Move."

Unprepared, he received a shove from behind.

He hadn't even realized that he had stopped, so caught was he by this abnormal planet.

With a bit of luck, he managed to stay standing, and did not make the first test of the repellent ground with anything other than his boot.

When he moved on to gain on Opress, he felt the finest shards of metal crush under his sole.

They followed a small path between the excrescences of metal. Opress walked rather secure, so Obi-Wan concluded that the Sith knew this planet. That fit, the planet itself evaporated something dark, and Obi-Wan still felt weak because the Force was dimmed here. He did not think that Maul was responsible for that. The Sith was not that powerful. But Obi-Wan wondered if the planet had been exposed to the dark side for a long time. That would explain the reek of Sith and the dark side here.

Following this thought, he had a strange intuition.

"So, is this the planet were Sith are trained?"

He did not get an answer besides a metal claw that struck his back, sending him on the serrated ground and therefore producing several cuts in his tunic and skin. At least he landed on his stomach, so his unmovable hands were not damaged.

"You will only speak when I demand it," Maul sounded angry, so maybe Obi-Wan was on the right track. But Maul barely had other feelings than anger when he spoke to Obi-Wan, so he couldn't be sure.

"And if he demands it? It would be rather impolite if I didn't answer him," Obi-Wan pitched his head towards Opress, who halted several steps before him.

Shortly after that sentence, he had three metal clamps around his head. With one eye, he could see Maul's face change from an enraged grimace to a despiteful grin when he squeezed his enemy's head and then pressed it to the metal soil.

Obi-Wan suppressed a moan when he felt several cuts on his brow and cheek.

"He is my brother and my apprentice. You will obey him as you will obey me. You will soon learn that we have much in common. More than the hatred against your kind."

"The favour of unsightly tattoos all over your bodies?"

That really made the Sith angry. Maul pressed down his whole weight on Obi-Wan's head. A moan escaped him as he felt the cuts on his face deepen, the metal slicing easily through his skin.

"You will soon lose your smart mouth and I will enjoy watching it. Now move on!"

The claw released him. Obi-Wan stood up, faltering but not tilting. His blood slowly ran into his beard while the group advanced on the slim path. It was a long way, but in regard of the hostile cliffs everywhere, it was a miracle that the brothers found a place to land the shuttle in the first place. Or it was no coincidence. Yes, it was most likely that people constructed the landing spot and the path. The big question was if it was really made by or for Sith. Followed shortly by the question that concerned Obi-Wan in the moment: Where lead this path?

He would soon find out.

When the sun went behind the horizon, they reached a dead-end. At least it looked like a dead-end to Obi-Wan. There was a massive block of dark metal directly before them. And to the left and the right were big serrated blades of metal, which made passage impossible.

Maul stepped before the big block and touched it on several spots. Obi-Wan memorized the spots as good as he could. Every bit of information might be essential for his escape.

Then, a part of the wall just vanished. That had to be a very clever combination of a hologram and an energy shield, looking and feeling as the rest of the rock to the uninitiated.

The two Sith entered the corridor, Obi-Wan between them.

Abruptly, he felt that something was wrong. The Force, normally a bright light all around him, was barely a glimmer. Outside, the Force had been weak, but here, it was barely discernible. He was not even sure if he could lift a lightsaber with the mournful rest of the Force that was left to him.

"The light side has no place in here," Maul appeared to have read his thoughts again, maybe because his mental shields lost a better part of their power. That lead him to an interesting realization. Even though the Force around him was weak, he could feel it more than clear around the two Sith. So this planet and especially this cave really favored the dark side. Another obstacle in his path.

Along the hallway, there were aisles branching off to unknown destinations. He could get glimpses of control panels and storage crates in some rooms.

In comparison to the rough and untouched planet surface, the tunnel system seemed to be extraordinary well-built, with its rectangular halls and its bulkheads every twenty meters. There were even small round lights along the ceiling.

They reached an opening and Obi-Wan was unceremoniously shoved inside. An excessively thick door slid out of the wall and locked him.

He looked around in the room. The furniture was exactly the same as in his last accommodation. None. But it was darker. And not just with regard to illumination.

He felt weak, like the Force. No surprise there, he was deeply connected with it.

At least, he could still feel the auras of his captors. They were in another tunnel, not far from his cell.

He attuned himself to another period of waiting, shoving away the requests of his body for water, food and sleep. At the moment, his most fundamental need was that of freedom, and he would find a way to get it.


	6. Chapter 6

AN: Yes, another chapter ready. I kind of abandoned the order I had planned for this and future chapters, but I hope it is still understandable. Just don't be too surprised if the perspectives are changing within the chapters. Read and enjoy!

**Chapter 5**

An hour or so went by until the Sith came back for him. Darth Maul entered first, followed on his heels by Savage Opress.

They were in the middle of a conversation.

"...finally be destroyed by the Sith. They grew weaker and weaker. He - " Maul nodded toward Obi-Wan. " - is one of their Council. One of their best Jedi. Pathetic. It will not be long before the Sith rise to power again."

The Jedi destroyed by the Sith? Obi-Wan thought that Maul was maybe a bit overly optimistic. There were a thousandfold more Jedi than Sith out in the Galaxy. But hubris was a thing one found on the path to the dark side, so it was no surprise to see it unfold in Maul.

"Now, _Master_ Kenobi," he mocked "I will finally have my revenge. You will die here. But not until you are reduced to a pitiful existence that I will eventually end with a finishing stroke."

Obi-Wan saw it in the Sith's eyes, and in his Force presence. He meant everything he said. Obi-Wan released his concerns into the Force, but a faint feeling of sorrow still clung to him.

"And how do you plan to do that? I am a Jedi. Isn't that already your definition of a pitiful existence?"

The corner of Maul's mouth twitched. But there was no humor in his eyes. He stepped right before Obi-Wan, who still sat on the ground, displaying a composed demeanor. But inside, he was more than agitated. With the robotic legs and his gained height, Maul was more intimidating than before. And the rage constantly flashing in his red-yellow eyes didn't help.

Obi-Wan prepared for an assault, and it came. Maul didn't show any creativity and used the Sith trick that he had called Force-choke again. Once more, Obi-Wan was getting no air and was lifted until his feet couldn't touch the ground. Again, he silently cursed the blasted binders around his wrists, and again, he had to stare into Maul's eyes when he watched his struggle against suffocation delightedly. This time, when he was finally released, the Sith's hand was at his throat, holding him upright against the wall.

"I have my methods. You must know that I had a lot of time to plan my revenge. You gave it to me, and now you will suffer for your mistake," he told Obi-Wan in his coarse voice.

With a loud thrumming sound, a red lightsaber appeared in his other hand.

Before Obi-Wan could react, it was at his right biceps, singeing his tunic and the skin underneath. The saber was not moved away and Obi-Wan tried to squirm out of its way, but it was impossible with Maul's hand on his throat and his immobilized hands.

His arm sent him flashes of pain, the blade now cutting into his muscle. He could feel it slowly burn a path through his flesh, turning it red and then black on the way. Sweat was stinging in his eyes and he had to suppress the shaking that wanted to take a hold on his body. When the nasty aroma of his own burned skin reached his nose, it was too much. The pain and the sickness together, enhanced by the deprivations of the journey and the lack of oxygen, sent him into sweet, painless unconsciousness.

* * *

"Watch him, Brother. Amongst the highest ranks of the Jedi and still ... weak."

Obi-Wan heard muted words, but he couldn't make sense of them. What happened?

_Concentrate on the Force._

As abruptly as a ship coming from hyperspace, the memories hit him, closely followed by intense pain. And a very bad feeling.

"Obi-Wan." He opened his eyes when he heard his name, and only his self-control could prevent him from flinching away from the tattooed face invading his private space.

Maul took his uninjured shoulder and propped him up against the wall, nearly gentle. But the hand remained, threateningly. Obi-Wan remained passive. He had no idea what the Sith planned and he was too occupied with his arm that felt as if Maul's saber still burned it.

"Obi-Wan," he waited until he had the Jedi's whole attention. "I had a lot of time to think about what happened to me. I was convinced that the Force had left me on Theed. But eventually, I began to give it a more detailed look. I came to an alarming conclusion..." He made a dramatic pause before he continued. "Maybe the dark side wanted you to win. So you were able to lead 200 Jedi to their deaths on Geonosis. Look at the galaxy now, shattered by war. Without you - if I had killed you - it would be better off. Maybe the Clone wars wouldn't have even begun yet.  
I now understand that my suffering had a purpose. I could not have killed as many Jedi as you did with your imprisonment on Geonosis. I came to believe that the dark side wanted me to suffer and resurrect even stronger. And it provided me with the torn and war-ridden galaxy I need to fulfill my plans. My _death _reunited me with my brother and the Sith could gain power."

Obi-Wan's face remained bland during the monologue, but inside him, long-buried thoughts were yanked to the surface again, hurting his psyche all the way up. Geonosis. Jabiim. Cato Nemoidia. Florrum.

He had not realized that he was no longer staring into Maul's eyes, but evading them. And the Sith noticed.

"Oh, you have already asked yourself that question. That's an advantage, I don't have to list all the deaths you are responsible for, cause you already did that yourself."

Obi-Wan's head snapped up. "I am not responsible for their deaths," he said, nearly whispering.

Maul readied for the death blow: "And what about your Jedi friend, Adi Gallia? Do you really think she would be dead without you? You do not delude me. I know that you feel responsible for all of them."

And without further words, he nodded to his brother and they left the room.

* * *

The duo entered the control room. It was an exact circle of finned steel, and several control panels were smoothly integrated into the walls.

"Brother, that was great. How did you do it?" Savage blurted out. "When you mentioned his guilt, he was completely shocked. His aura faltered. That did not happen when you burned him."

"Yes, brother. As I said, there are many things you still have to learn. It is important to understand your enemy. I had years to come to my conclusions, not aware, but somewhere inside my broken ghost. And when I came to clarity again, it was all there. Kenobi's biggest mistake is that he cares for others. You should have seen him when I gutted his Master..." A dreamy smile appeared for the shortest of moments. "He now conceals his feelings better, but you felt how he reacted."

"Yes, brother. But I fear I can't keep that up when you're away. The mental thing, I mean. I don't know him so well."

"That won't be a problem. I will be back soon and as I already taught you, a weak body evokes a weak spirit. But don't damage him too bad, I like his miserable attempts of resistance. It will be even more satisfactory to see them cede when he breaks. Do not disappoint me, my apprentice."

"I won't, Master," Savage answered, his head bowed in respect.

Maul prepared himself to leave, but he suddenly paused in front of the curved door.

"There is one more thing I need," he said after a moment, turning around for Savage. "Your lightsaber."

Savage was on the verge of objecting, but then he saw in his brother-turned-master's face that he was deadly serious. Slightly irritated, Savage sank to his knees in front of Maul, the dual-bladed saber on his open palms. Maul exchanged his normal blade with the one of his brother.

"Good. I will be back soon and we will continue with my plan."

He finally opened the door and left his brother kneeling on the cold floor, in deep thoughts of what has been revealed to him.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 4**

It was cold on the ship, but the pilot didn't care. Some would say that he was impatient, but he just hated the passivity. Flying through hyperspace without doing anything reminded him too much of the time not long ago, when he dwelt on the depraved garbage planet, his existence barely more than that of an animal. He had done nothing more than to survive, to stay in that awful state of misery.

But it ended, and he owed that to mother Talzin and his brother. Oh, he did not feel like he was in debt. Mother Talzin surely had her own agenda to bring him back. He still did not know what that was, but he didn't care. He would just do what he dreamed of since the day of his disfigurement. Having his revenge.

Maul was not sure if his little excursion would be a success, but it was definitely worth the risk. If he could get his hands on a Jedi, one sent to rescue Obi-Wan, he would have the trump that he needed. He was not totally convinced that somebody would show up at TER-32, but if the Jedi hadn't gotten the clue he left them, they were even more pitiable than he thought.

Finally the hyperspace-jump ended and he got a view on the dying planet, which would still fight against its death long after his'. An eternal battle doomed to failure.

He entered the atmosphere and instantly felt the heat that was to be expected this close to the sun. He would search for a nice spot to spent his time waiting. But not too concealed, after all he wanted to be found as soon as possible.

* * *

Obi-Wan was still lying in the corner of the room. He had no energy left for his muscles, everything he had was in his head, spinning thoughts around in an endless swirl, not coming to a conclusion. It was sad. He should not be such a mess after Maul's verbal assault, but the Sith had kicked a pebble into motion that caused a landslide of emotions and memories to resurrect from oblivion. And with that came the realization that he had not released these things into the Force and put them behind, as he thought he had. He had done much worse. He repressed them. And now, tons of thoughts buried his mind, torturing him with the demerit their existence stood for. Why had he not acted like a Jedi? Was he not meant to be one from the beginning? How could he be a Master when he did not get his emotions under control?

But there was one branch he could hold on to while drifting in his very own maelstrom. Anakin. He was his branch and anchor to escape. Because Maul was wrong. If Obi-Wan had lost the battle on Naboo, there would have been nobody to train Anakin. The Chosen One would not be a Jedi and the hope of an end to the Sith threat would not even be a distant prospect. Anakin and the hope he symbolized was worth it all.

Obi-Wan was a bit surprised about himself, to weigh the deaths of so many Jedi for Anakin and consider it even, but he was convinced that every Jedi would sacrifice a thousand other Jedi to destroy the Sith. It was their duty to restore light in the Galaxy. And he would fight for that whatever the cost. Regardless of what it already cost him, _who_ it already cost him. They were now one with the Force, and he would not mourn for them, he would remember them as they were, beings of light, his friends, willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good.

He would have to accept their deaths some day, but for now, it was enough to know that they did not die for him. He just hoped that handling it would not take him as long as it did with Qui-Gon's death. It had taken him months, no years to accept it; to not slip into sadness when something reminded him of his Master, and in the first days after his death, everything, the temple, other Jedi, even Anakin evoked that unbearable feeling. He had tried to not let it show, but Yoda knew anyway. And during that time, the way he looked at Yoda changed drastically. He went from the old, respectable and severe leader of the Jedi Order to an understanding, helpful...adviser.

And he could nearly hear Yoda's voice in his ear right now, telling him: _Not mourn for the dead you shall. Stay alive and escape, you should concentrate on_._ Otherwise only more death to grieve there will be._

Along with a faint query of his sanity, he agreed with mental-Yoda. He shoved away all his thoughts, which had thankfully dissipated into a small rivulet. He embraced the little Force that he had, and concentrated on his surroundings. Oh yes, there was still the awful pain in his arm. He nearly forgot that...how nice of his body to help him remember, he thought with a pained smile.  
But something was strange...he only felt one presence near. As long as he stretched his mental fingers, he could not find a hint of Maul.

Obi-Wan was instantly alert. That could be his opportunity of escape. His chances were at least twice as high against only one Sith. Sadly they would still not go over one percent, but Obi-Wan never dreaded bad odds. Quite the opposite. If one had bad odds, one was often underestimated, and that had been the downfall of many of his enemies.

He just had to wait until the Force presented a way.

* * *

Ahsoka was disgruntled. Couldn't her Master be a bit less impulsive?

"Master, it's too dangerous. You can't fight two Sith all by yourself."

"Ahsoka, I won't fight them, you heard me as I told the Council. I will just take a closer look, to see if Obi-Wan really is there."

He nodded to the terrifying planet right in front of their shuttle with slitted eyes. The closeness to the sun made the cockpit consist only of black and white, despite the shading mechanism of the shuttle's windows. Nevertheless, they could see a trail of glowing objects drift from TER-32 to its sun which devoured them greedily. The planet was so near to the sun that her mass tore the planet slowly apart. The side facing the sun was glowing and sending a steady stream of matter to the sun, while the other side was in eternal darkness. It really was a dying planet.

"If you just take a look, why can't I come with you?"

"I don't know how long it will take and somebody has to stay in space to wait for the other Jedi. And as you should know, taking a look can end up in trouble, and I don't want you anywhere near the Sith."

"Everything ends in trouble as soon as you are involved," she said with a smile, knowing that she couldn't win that argument. "Please, don't take any risks and find Obi-Wan."

"I will. Now let's go down near that ship we detected. I contact you as soon as I find anything."

"You sure that -"

"Yes, I will manage. And you will stay in orbit and wait for either my signal or the reinforcements. Are we clear?"

"Yes, Master."

They descended to the surface in silence. When Anakin opened the hatch to leave the shuttle, a wall of hot air nearly boiled the inside of the shuttle. Ahsoka heard Anakin mutter some Huttese about his black clothes, then he went outside. When her Master waved his hand, Ahsoka steered the shuttle back into the atmosphere, concerned for both her Master and her Master's Master. Hopefully Anakin would contact her soon. For Ahsoka, waiting was among the worst things one could be forced to do on a mission.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Finally. The sensors announced an incoming ship. Just one. Perfect.

But what was that? Strangely, the ship left again, after depositing one life-form. So he would have to make a quick exit if he did not want to be tailed. But first, he would take care of the life-form that had to be a Jedi.

He wondered who they sent, to face the expected Sith duo single-handedly. And they accused the Sith of arrogance. He would gladly absolve them from this un-jedi-like trait.

As the Jedi drew nearer, Maul gently stroked the double-bladed lightsaber of his brother. Shortly before his leave, the dark side suggested that he should take it with him. And it was a good idea. The Jedi would be rather unfamiliar with it. The only Jedi still alive who had had a real fight against a double-bladed saber was already in his clutches. The Jedi would have a hard time with that weapon.

Although, Maul had to admit, it was not an overly practical weapon. One was always in danger of impaling oneself, and it was hard to handle. But he was well-trained and he might have some aces up his sleeve...

When the Jedi came nearer, Maul stepped down the ramp, into the dry and hot air. There he came. He could not see him clearly because the sun that filled the whole horizon was behind the figure, leaving his features in the dark. But the silhouette looked familiar.

Could it be? Was that really Skywalker? Maul's hand clenched around his weapon, pleased but also a bit unsettled. That boy was the best he could hope for regarding his purpose, but one of the hardest to defeat. He heard multiple stories praising his exorbitant talent with the lightsaber. But high prizes required high stakes, and this boy, Kenobi's padawan, would be worth the effort.

Skywalker stopped in some distance of the ramp, glaring at Maul as if he wanted to frighten him. The Sith cast him a smile of rotten teeth instead.

"Have you lost something, Skywalker?"

If possible, the glare went angrier.

"Where is he? Hand him over and I'll let you live"

Interesting, was that boy really so arrogant to believe that he could easily best him, while his master couldn't? He really looked forward to teach Skywalker a lesson.

"Kenobi is not here. But don't worry, my apprentice takes good care of him. And don't bother with the com-link," he added when Skywalker went for it, "I jammed the signal."

He tried anyway, and that gave Maul time to launch himself at the Jedi, his double-bladed saber swirling in his hands.

But Skywalker was no fool. He was ready for him and met his first assault with an angry shove back. Maul went on to deliver vicious blows from all sides, but Skywalker parried them, as if it was just a little distraction for him.

Maul bared his teeth. This green boy should better not underrate him.

He increased the frequency of his blows and his steps, turning the air between the combatants boiling. And Skywalker began to show signs of exhaustion now. He was not made for that climate. His tunic was wet of his perspiration and it ran down his face, forming the dust on his face to mad patterns.

He blocked a back-handed attack of the blue lightsaber and countered with the other side of his staff, but Skywalker was already there. He was talented. But that would not save him.

Maul leapt into the air, doing a backward flip while parrying another blow. He smoothly landed in safe distance of his opponent's saber.

"Already tired?" Skywalker heaved "I saw hutts in better shape than you."

Hate flared through Maul's body, but he would not apply it. Not yet.

"Don't worry. I will last long enough for you. I see only one person gasping here." He responded in a forced low voice. Meanwhile, he deactivated one of his blades, holding the now single-bladed saber diagonally before his body.

"You think you can defeat me with one blade when you couldn't with two?"

That arrogance. Maybe he should try another tactic.

"One blade was more than enough to give me the screams of your master that I wanted to hear. By the time I come back, maybe my apprentice will have him already begging for his death."

Oh, this would be good. Skywalker's posture went rigid and his face twitched. He surely got the desired effect, the question was if he unsettled Skywalker enough to make a mistake.

The Jedi ran to him, his saber flailing through the air like that of a madman. But the blows were strong, and it was straining to block them, so he more and more avoided them, waiting for an opening in Skywalker's mad attack.

But in contrast to his master, Skywalker seemed to be accustomed to wild and angry attacks. He barely left an open spot to attack. Interesting...and unfortunate. Maul noticed how his legs were slowly heating themselves. The friction and the high temperature would soon take its toll on the metal. He did not have much time left.

When their sabers locked again, Maul took the time to channel all his anger, about Kenobi, Skywalker, Dooku, and even about his old master, let it flow through his body and mind to give him barbarous strength and perception.

He broke the lock, and the fight went on, now dominated by Maul. When fighting with a simple blade, it was so much easier to coordinate one's movements and the Sith used the whole freedom that was given to him. He was now delivering blows at ease, and Skywalker noticed, he was forced backward and a line of concern formed between his brows. _Where is your certainty now, Skywalker?_

The fight went on, two schemes separated by arcs of blue and red light, rimmed by long black shadows the never-setting sun sent in their direction, all under a haze of brown dust.

And then the opportunity came. The dark side told Maul to watch Skywalker's next move, a long blow aimed for his knees. Instead of blocking it, Maul deflected the blade what left Skywalker's side open. Maul would not be fast enough to turn his saber around and get to the spot, but he did not have to. He gave his saber a mental shove and the other blade would emerge right through Skywalker's heart.

No! He would not forget his plan over his anger. He corrected the path of the saber, driving it into Skywalker's ribs, not deep enough to strike the lung.

But it made an impact. Skywalker gasped, both in surprise and pain. He was out of balance now and it was not hard for Maul to grab the boy's sword arm with his metal foot, sending him to the ground. He was a bit disappointed when he realized that Skywalker's hand was a prosthesis, otherwise he would have left some nasty burns with the heated metal. He took the boy's lightsaber and left his weapon ignited threateningly.

Skywalker was in bad shape. He was short of breath and completely drenched in sweat, the dust beginning to stick to his hair, forming brown clots.

"Go on. Kill me and get it over with," he bore.

Maul raised his brows. "Skywalker. I'm disappointed. Do you think I made this whole plan just to kill you? No, you will be the perfect instrument to break your master."

The horror he saw on Skywalker's face completely justified the risk to induct him into his plan.

Skywalker wanted to say something, probably object, but Maul had everything he wanted. No need to listen any further. He jammed his other foot into the boy's head, sending him into oblivion.

That had been a tight victory, but while he dragged Skywalker to his ship, the excitement about his next encounter with Kenobi overpowered his doubts.


	9. Chapter 9

AN: Hello everyone, I know it took me longer than usual, but here is the next update. Please tell me what you think, because I'm not sure if I got it fitting and right. Constructive criticism is always appreciated, and I don't complain about positive reviews either. Have fun!

**Chapter 9**

Obi-Wan stood at the door frame, all his senses alert. They had been for over two hours now, but he couldn't risk not hearing Opress come. He would only have one chance of escape, and he had to be ready for it. It would be hard enough, his right arm was a mess. He still felt sick when he looked at it, getting a glimpse of black flesh beneath the charred tunic, and the smell of burning skin still lingered in the air.

It had not helped that he had to bring his arms in front of him. Obi-Wan had nearly blacked out when he laid on the ground, winding his body through the narrow gap his bound arms provided.

He was a bit bugged when he imagined Qui-Gon's satisfactory grin, because there was another thing he insisted on training his uncooperative padawan in, that finally paid off. He remembered the long discussion that involved complaining that gymnastics was only for girls, a long and strict stare of Qui-Gon, the argument that his time was better spent on saber training, an even longer stare of Qui-Gon, and finally disgruntled compliance.

He was brought back to reality when the Force shifted slightly and Obi-Wan heard heavy steps emerge. He strained, put his boot on the door frame for support and catapulted himself outward as soon as the gap the door provided was large enough for him.

His hands went straight to the lightsaber at Opress' hip, but Obi-Wan noticed that he would not have enough impact to overthrow the giant in front of him. He slightly altered his path, so he sailed past Opress, taking the lightsaber with him.

With a roll on the ground he regained his balance, quickly ignited the saber and destroyed his binders.

When Obi-Wan looked up, he saw a wall of an angry Sith fly at him. Opress was a fighter of brute strength, and the force that slammed Obi-Wan into the wall was breathtaking. He managed to keep his grip on the saber, but his hand was enclosed by the Sith's hand, fighting for dominance over the red plasma ray.

In the end, Obi-Wan would lose this fight, but he was not defeated yet. He kicked Opress' leg, and while he heard the angry grunt, he took the minimal space that he got with his action and shifted himself away from the wall. He quickly added the strength of his other arm to the battle over the lightsaber, ignoring the flashes of agony his overly strained burnt arm sent him when its capacity was once again abused over the limit.

The saber was slowly moving away from him, but in the eye of possible defeat, Opress regained his spirits and added his other hand to the tangle on the saber hilt.

Obi-Wan realized that he had maneuvered himself into a dead-end. The blade was now slowly searing toward him, the hum loudly in his ears, the smell of ozone in his nose. Even if he wanted, he could not let go of the saber, for the Sith's claws crushed his hands firmly against the hilt. All he could do was watch the blade come nearer. He felt the heat exude from the blade, like the sweat in his face that cooled his skin in small trails before it vanished in his beard. Was that how he should die? During an attempted escape, doomed to lose on account of minor muscle power? That was not how he imagined it.

And in the turmoil of unsettling thoughts, the Force offered the possibility of a solution. Just a slight one, but these were his specialty. With one last exerted groan, Obi-Wan forced his arms to relax, while similarly rotating sideways, hoping that the blade, now swung by all power the Sith could muster, would miss him.

His fingers were still around the blade, and merely on instinct, he extended the arc the saber described. He did not even need much strength, he just had to channel that of his opponent.

It worked. The blade barely missed him, but he could scent the distinct smell of burnt hair indicating that it was a close call.

The saber moved on, now toward the Sith, who realized what was going to happen. But in the split-second everything happened, he could do nothing more than wide his eyes in terror. Obi-Wan was now totally led by the Force. He steered the pulsating saber at his opponent, left a trail of glowing metal on the floor, exerted more power when he felt Opress' joint block, heard the scream when the joint broke and the horrified silence when the blade finally cut through the arm, severing it right at the shoulder.

Savage Opress made no sound. His other hand went slack, too and he stared incomprehensibly at the arm that fell to the floor as Obi-Wan altered his grip on the red lightsaber. The giant slowly sank to his knees, his eyes never leaving his limb.

Obi-Wan realized a slightly green mist emerge from the wounded spot, along with a strange altering in the Force. It was the same thing he felt in the Force around both the Sith, just a hundredfold stronger. But that was a question he could wreck his brains on later. His first priority was now to leave this darn planet and return to the temple.

Obi-Wan's gaze left the Sith on the ground and he turned around. He could kill the Sith now, but he was unarmed and clearly no threat in his state of shock. It would not be the Jedi way to end his life now.

At the moment, his top priority was to find a ship.

While he ran through the corridors, he tried to shut out the obtrusive thought that there might not be a ship to escape with. Maul was off planet and if the ship he used was the only facility of transport, Obi-Wan was doomed.

He traversed the dimly lit rooms, barely noticing them. Finally, the Force gave him a nudge that he fluently transcribed into a sharp turn to his right. He found himself in a console-packed room, which he quickly scanned for a console to extract a layout plan of, to find a hangar if there was one.

Thankfully the consoles were not secured very well and he quickly found what he needed. Even better. It was not a plan but a hologram, and when he saw the unfamiliar starfighter standing in the small hangar, he nearly staggered from the wave of relief that unfurled through his body.

Obi-Wan had no time to collect his breath and he found himself again storming through the halls, his heart thrumming in his ears together with his steps on the metal floor.

There was a light tap of the Force at the back of his mind, but he subconsciously shut it out, together with the exhaustion and the numerable requests his body accumulated over the time. The thing that kept him going was that he had his hope back. That was all the incentive he needed at the moment.

But the Force grew more insisting and Obi-Wan was - due to his large experience with it - no longer able to ignore it. He quickly took the next door that led out of the hall.

In the empty room, when his heavy breath slowed down a little, he heard what the Force warned him about. There were clanging footsteps coming nearer. He did not have to be a Jedi to know who they belonged to, but he double-checked in the Force anyway. Yes. There were now two Force-presences in the complex beside him. He could spot the devastated presence of Savage Opress and one very angry - not even attempted to be shielded - presence of Maul.

Obi-Wan was cornered. The hangar was in Maul's direction and Opress and the cell were in the other. As the sweat cooled on his skin, leaving a chilly feeling, it found a resemblance inside him. He had been so close away from escape and now it was over. Soon, Maul would reach him, so Obi-Wan shoved away the despair, centered himself, took some deep breaths and wiped the clinging hair off his forehead.

He took the lightsaber in his undamaged left hand, waiting for his nemesis. He would fight Maul, regardless of his poor state. There was no other option. He would fight over life and death now.

But the steps stopped, just a few meters away from the hangar door.

"Kenobi! I know you are in there. Come out and face me."

Obi-Wan did not seem to be the only one eager to fight. With firm steps, he went out of the room. In the corridor to his right stood Maul with an ugly satisfied smile. But Obi-Wan's eyes were already attracted by something else. Besides the Sith laid a human shape on the ground. The curly brown hair, now stained in mud like the black tabard could only belong to one person.

"Anakin?" he gasped horror-stricken.

He got no response from the Jedi, but Maul obligingly answered.

"He's unconscious. But I will kill him right away if you don't hand over my lightsaber."

And with that, Maul ignited his weapon, startling Obi-Wan with the sound. The Jedi was completely off-kilter. All his hope was shattered in one devastating blow Maul gave him, not pysically, but mentally. And he clearly projected his desparation on his body. His "borrowed" saber hang down limply, only held by the occasional twitch Obi-Wan's hand made. He had totally dropped his defense when he saw Anakin.

Because Anakin here, in this place, was probably the worst thing that could happen to him now. Maul seemed to know that he was very close to him and he would use Anakin to break Obi-Wan.

The hovering red blade over Anakin's chest raised the remote question if it would be more merciful for them both to die here fighting than enduring whatever the Sith had planned.

But he could not do that. He told himself that it was because there was still the chance of escape, but deep down he knew what held him from sacrificing Anakin. Attachment. Simple as that, but he deeply cared for Anakin, whom he raised since he was a small boy, who annoyed him to death sometimes, but who still had his back when necessary.

And like that, his deep exhale, the relaxation of his left hand and the clattering of the lightsaber on the floor surprised none of the present people.

The lightsaber flew into Maul's other hand, the satisfaction only a short tremor in his raged force-presence. The Sith quickly closed the space between them, his eyes flashing with anger.

"And now, you pay for what you did to my apprentice. My brother."

The Sith extended his arm and Obi-Wan braced himself for another force-choke. But to his horror, a web of lightning came out of Maul's hand, hitting him square in the chest.

It was not like the choke. It was much worse. This time, his soul suffocated in darkness and his body in agony. He had no anchor, no center. As if the light was extinct. He tumbled through chaos, pain and despair for an indeterminate amount of time.

Later, Obi-Wan found himself face first to the floor, his senses slowly coming back to him. The whole thing could not have lasted longer than seconds, since Maul was still standing before him. Obi-Wan's throat was raw, although he couldn't remember screaming and through the dust that came – Force forbid – from his own body, he saw the Sith stare suspiciously at his gloved hands, the surprise quickly turning into triumph.

He extended his hand once more and Obi-Wan was surrounded by flashing pain again. This time, the agony did not end with him waking up but falling deeper into darkness, and eventually into mercifully painless unconsciousness.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Obi-Wan slowly awoke. Or did he? One had to sleep before awaking and he had surely not slept because sleep meant rest and regeneration and he felt neither of them. Just the sorry state his body was in, and something different that bugged him which he couldn't figure out yet.

He opened his eyes and stretched his mental senses. Yes, there was the offspring of his unease – and he should earn a medal for the biggest understatement ever for this denotation – Anakin. He laid on his back two meters away from him, unmoving.

How in the nine Corellian Hells did Anakin even get here? Obi-Wan could have very well abdicated another rescue attempt of abysmal proportion like that on Geonosis.

Obi-Wan asked himself - not for the first time in his life – if Anakin purposefully tried to make his life harder. He really exceeded himself with that one.

But his chagrin quickly vanished when he saw Anakin's chest. It showed a burn, one that Obi-Wan had to see too often in the last few years. It matched the one on his arm and was clearly a lightsaber-burn.

"Anakin? Wake up." He winced at the raw sound of his own voice, but he was not rewarded with a response. So he settled on approaching his former padawan. That was not as easy as it sounded either. The first thing he felt was that his muscles burned like fire when he tried to move them. Maybe an after effect of the lightning. But the more he concentrated, the better he could move.

And then he realized that his hands were clamped together by binders again. This time, his arms were at least tied before him, but a thick durasteel-wire connected him to a spot two meters up the wall. The door was not in his range but that didn't matter in the moment, because Anakin was.

His hand slid over Anakin's face, wiping away both dirt and blood. There was a nasty cut hidden under the dust on his forehead, just under the hairline. Obi-Wan softly tapped him on the cheek. "Anakin, wake up."

He stirred, mumbled something and tried to turn around, but the chain – by the way the same make that held Obi-Wan – wouldn't let him, and he jerked awake in a split-second and sat up so quick that he nearly hit Obi-Wan with his head.

"What? Obi-Wan! Where..." Anakin was totally confused, he looked around him like a paranoiac.

"Anakin, it's okay, I'm with you," Obi-Wan told him calmly, "Unfortunately we are prisoners of Darth Maul and Savage Opress... by the way, I expect all future rescue attempts of you to be more successful than this one."

Anakin blinked several times, trying to process the given information in his still wary mind. Then he shook his head and displayed – of all emotions possible - a wry smile.

"I'm just happy that you are alright - I mean considering the circumstances alright. You were with the Sith for quite a while and we were really worried. I mean Maul does really hate you and... I knew you were not dead but..."

Obi-Wan saved his former padawan from the stammering as he laid his hands on his shoulder.

"I'm alright for now, but I fear that won't last long," he locked his stare with Anakin, trying to make the severity of the following clear to him. "Maul has brought you here as leverage. I'm not sure what exactly he will do, but I think he wants to hurt you to get to me. And he will succeed."

A crease formed between Anakin's brows.

"He won't succeed. I will bear it until Ahsoka and the reinforcements arrive."

Obi-Wan wanted to make his last point clear again, because he was not sure if Anakin understood what it implied, but then Anakin's words arrived at his brain.

"What? You took Ahsoka with you into that mess?" he scolded.

"Yes, I took her into that mess. The mess that you created, so we are both responsible. But don't worry, she's not in danger, Ahsoka is waiting in orbit."

Obi-Wan's head began to hurt again. "Stop...I think we are both making false assumptions in the moment. Maul brought you here from another planet, the one Ahsoka is presumably still at. There is-"

"Wait, I wasn't unconscious for that long..." his eyes were only slits now and a small tremor was rippling the Force, "Oh, that Sithspawn gave me something. It is nearly consumed now, but I can still feel it. Fierfek! I guess you have to fill me in a bit, I don't want to be the totally uninformed idiot when the Sith come back."

"Oh don't worry, they will think that of you either way and you'll only be the second most hated person in the room, I can assure you. But now that you say it, there are some things I'd like to know, too..."

* * *

Ahsoka felt more than uncomfortable. And that was not just because she was floating in the void, somewhere far away from any civilization. No, the main problem were the people she had to answer to, namely the whole Jedi council which chose to do a conference right now.

A part of her was also relieved to share the burden, but she hated to admit defeat, and in the situation that she lost her master, it was nearly unbearable. She had never reported to the council without him before and she was frightened, even if she hated to admit it.

"Master told me to wait until he made contact, but he never did, and so I contacted him, but it didn't work and I realized that the signal was jammed. I guess by some drones on the planet. And when I wanted to come and look, I saw Maul's freighter fly off the planet. It didn't contact me, so Maul had to be on board. And then it readied for hyperspace and I tried to follow. I managed four jumps but then I lost them."

"Them? Somebody else on board there was, hmm?"

Yoda looked at her gently, easing her nerves. He definitely knew that she was under enormous stress in the moments, and he always had it in for the younger ones.

"I think that Master is on the ship. I know that he is."

"Do you say that because you really know it or because the other possibility would be that Skywalker was killed by the Sith?"

Ahsoka had to restrain herself from glaring angrily at Ki-Adi Mundi.

"It's what I feel. I would know it if he was dead. And he isn't, I am absolutely sure about that. But we have to find him soon, because Force knows what these Sith will do to him."

"Master Koon is already on his way, he and his clone squad should arrive in about a standard hour," Master Windu now spoke, casting a side-way glance at the empty seat to his right. "He will locate you and then search the surroundings. Since the standard protocol are five hyperspace jumps, the Sith might be relatively near. You can begin with a scan of the neighboring systems."

"Yes, Master." She did not show her frustration but displayed a blank face. What if the Sith changed the settings on the ship? They could be half a galaxy away by now. At least, they sent Master Plo, he would understand her and do everything to find Anakin.

"Trust in the Force to guide you, you must. In the Force, there is no distance." Yoda told her with a knowing nod, as if he read her thoughts. She responded with a nod and the hologram before her disappeared.

* * *

They sat in silence now, both kneeling on the floor, facing each other. Every important information was shared and their thoughts alternated between what was to come and how they could escape. Or at least Obi-Wan thought that Anakin's went into that direction, too.

"You know, the council considered leaving you there, as a good deed for all the younglings to listen to your lectures."

"Anakin, I'm not in the mood."

"Then why are you amused? I know that expression, you always do it when you don't want to show your amusement."  
Force, Anakin really knew him too well by now. But living together for over ten years did that to somebody.

"True, but I think it's more important to find a way out of here, and since I already did it once and then had to surrender because your unconscious form showed up, it is now your turn."

That quickly silenced him and Obi-Wan wanted to take the last comment back when he saw the flash of hurt ghost over Anakin's face for a second, but he didn't. Let Anakin be productive for a while.

Meanwhile, he surveyed the Force for the two Sith. Maul was difficult to identify and nothing of the incredible amount of anger that he displayed before was visible. His brother was easier to find, he was right beside Maul and soft branches of pain seeped into the Force around him.

The Sith were weakened, but Anakin and Obi-Wan could not benefit from it in their current situation. There had to be a flaw somewhere, and he would find it, he had to, because Anakin's and his fate depended on it.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Darth Maul stayed at his brother's side until he saw him fall asleep. It was not a calm sleep, and despite the painkillers, Savage groaned every once in a while. He looked bad. The pallor was visible even under his tattoos, and sweat stained his face.

Maul was not comfortable with the room his brother had to use. It was not meant for longer stays. The net of metal strands that served as lying surface did great for Maul, but for a wounded person like his brother, it would be painful, and the rough blanket didn't help either.

The bacta patch that was pressed tightly to his left shoulder where the arm should be was the only thing Maul could do right now. He couldn't risk going to a med station. They were wanted criminals and although he could extort treatment for his brother, he would inevitably attract attention. And currently, every sort of attention was unseasonable.

He would have to patch him up as good as possible, and later they would have to get him a mechanical arm. His brother mumbled something incoherent and he put a hand on his forehead, feeling that it was slightly heated.

The anger about the state of his brother nearly overwhelmed him again, but he was acquainted with that, and he knew how to store the cause of his anger away for later use. But not much later. Ironically, Obi-Wan had consigned a new weapon to him with the whole new level of anger he evoked. A weapon that might be his downfall. He would use the force-lightning soon.

But as a start, he would resort to a more substantial weapon. He pressed his palm against a reader and the panel at the wall opposite the bed slid aside and revealed a neat array of weapons.

After short reflection, he settled for a finely engraved dagger. Obi-Wan had to pay in blood. How convenient that the dagger was used as a sacrificial knife on its planet of origin.

He cast one more look at his brother and left the room.

Some corridors further, he touched another reader. He heard a sliding metal sound and after that, the door disappeared into the wall. He silently complimented himself to the idea of the variable length of his prisoner's chains. When he entered the room, they would get short, and when he left, they would get long again. If he wanted them to.

Obi-Wan hid his surprise about the now extremely shortened wire that connected him to the wall pretty well, his face was a stoic mask. On his right, Skywalker was not as calm. Maul could make out the end of some Huttese curse, as he stared angrily at his hands, which were now locked in a position slightly above his head, forcing him to stand upright against the wall like his master.

He even had a small advantage because he was taller. Obi-Wan stood on his toes since it was the only way to get the weight off his wrists.

"What do you want?" the bearded Jedi asked. If you could call it asking. He sounded more like a regent that wanted to know what a random supplicant wanted of him. That insolence! The aquiline guard of his dagger pricked into his flesh as he clenched it tighter.

He approached Obi-Wan. "First, I will punish you for what you did to my brother."

"Punished? He should receive a medal for it."

Skywalker that little pest seemed to have absorbed the unwholesome smart mouth of his master, but Maul knew how to deal with it.

He flooded his mind with his anger, but didn't let it get out. He accumulated and concentrated it until he could no longer hold it, then he thought of what evil the man before him has brought over him, of every evil that was ever brought to him, and directed the raw and intense rage into his hand. And released it at Skywalker, without casting him the slightest glance.

As the lightning crackled from his hand, he felt the pure ecstasy and the raw power it contained push through him. He would have stayed inebriate like this if it didn't cost him that much energy. And so, he only gave Skywalker a short taste of what obstreperousness would bring him.

Maul didn't have to turn around to see that he was successful. The small crack in Obi-Wan's mask of calmness was his confirmation.

Now to the real fun.

"Do you see-" Maul began when he cut through the fabric of Obi-Wan's tunic, from wrist to waist, deliberately cutting a bit deeper than necessary.

"-the penalty-" he continued, making another slice, this time from neck to belly – more careful, he didn't want to disembowel him just yet.

"-for resistance?" The last cut was like the first one, on the other side.

Not till then he turned around to face Skywalker. Intelligent boy. He scowled at him but held his tongue. He was pale. And angry. The same anger that he felt during their battle. Still, both the physical chains in the cell and the mental chains of the Jedi restrained him from using his anger.

Maul turned back around with a sneer.

Back to his task.

He flung the hated Jedi around so that he had to face the wall. Darth Maul leaned forward and – because he saw how uncomfortable Obi-Wan was with it – came even nearer. The material of the Jedi tunic was repugnantly soft on his skin and in his hand, as he grabbed the Jedi at the collar. Only centimeters separated his mouth and Obi-Wan's ear.

"If you pass out," he whispered, "I'll continue with your boy." That promise made, he pulled back and yanked at the collar hardly. The tunic landed on the ground, now a mere set of rags.

Obi-Wan shivered slightly before he went rigid again.

It was not cold in the room.

A sneer tugged at Maul's lips as he placed his dagger on the now bare left shoulder of his enemy. Obi-Wan wanted to evade it, but there was no leeway.

Maul began with a shallow cut over the shoulder-blade. Just beside the spine, he cut deeper, through muscle. That earned him a groan.

Not quite enough for him.

He continued his bloody work, carving various lines into Obi-Wan's back, until he crossed a hardly visible white line. There were more of them. Old scars, neatly healed but still there. The pattern argued for whiplashes, but who could they be from?

Maybe...he had heard stories, but they couldn't be true. Only Ventress' intervention prevented him from exacting his revenge on Obi-Wan much earlier. It was highly doubtful that she tortured him to the brink of death two years before that.

He shoved these thoughts aside, there were enough other people who could be responsible for the scars, Obi-Wan Kenobi was a person with more than enough – and more than dangerous – enemies.

He started shivering now, the blood loss showing effects.

From the other side of the room, he perceived a growing cloud of anger and hate around Skywalker. Maul just had to wait and see who lost it first. In both cases, Skywalker would be the one who had to suffer.

With clinical interest, he wondered what would happen first? Would Obi-Wan faint or would his apprentice get carried away to say something?

He stroked the blade over the bloody back, trying to decide where to cut next.

His prey breathed heavily and his eyes fluttered. He already fought against oblivion. Maybe he should do something to wake him up.

He lifted the dagger and cut into the reddish flesh around the burn on Obi-Wan's shoulder.

Darth Maul contentedly drank the expression of surprise and shortly afterward that of pain on Obi-Wan's face. As he drank the guttural scream like a cure for his churning soul. That was revenge, sweet revenge.

"Stop it!"

The exclamation brought him back into the room. He slowly turned around to the other occupant.

"And why should I? Because you want it?" Maul laughed deridingly before he sent another jolt of lightning at the impudent boy, longer this time, because he wanted Obi-Wan to hear his apprentice's screams.

"Don't..." he heard the raw voice behind him. Obi-Wan was at the end of his rope, he hung in the chains aslant, so that he could get a look at Skywalker, his whole weight on the wrists. He used the last of his strength to hold his eyes open, but he wouldn't keep it up for long.

"Don't worry, Obi-Wan", Maul said with a hard clap on the Jedi's shoulder that not even a blind bantha could mistake for affection – for the very reason that Obi-Wan moaned and seemed to collapse into his chains even more, "I wouldn't lay a finger on him were you unable to spectate."

He felt how Obi-Wan's consciousness slowly faded and made sure that the last thing he saw was his apprentice, encased by lightning.

He went to the door, his blood thirst momentarily stanched.

At the entryway, he tossed a can of water into the cell. If his prisoners wouldn't get something to drink, they would die soon, especially after the huge amount of blood Obi-Wan lost today. They would certainly think that it was drugged, but he was not the kind of person to do that. He preferred his victims clear and capable of thinking. He knew that the human brain was one of the most effective torture devices of all. One had to realize the entire dimension of misery one was stuck in to really know what the word fear stood for.

The two unconscious Jedi disappeared of his visual field as the door slid close. He was satisfied with himself, but a bit of worry about his brother still gnawed on him. And the heavy sound of his "feet" on the floor reminded him that his apprentice would begin to assimilate him not just in mind, but regretfully in appearance, too.


	12. Chapter 12

AN: Hi guys, I know that it has been a while, but I'm pretty busy studying at the moment, so I won't be able to update regularly. Anyway, I try to be as fast as possible, but I can't make any promises. So here is the next chapter, I hope it was worth the wait. And if you like it, I'm always happy about reviews, I read them even if I am busy...And a big thanks to everyone who already reviewed! I never thought that I would reach the fifty mark, thank you and enjoy!

**Chapter 12**

Anakin was instantly alert when Obi-Wan stirred. After their torture session, the range of their chains went long again and he had enough room to make Obi-Wan as comfortable as possible. Which was not very much. He laid on his stomach, the head carefully bedded on his torn tunic, his arms awkwardly placed around his head. Sadly, there was nothing to patch Obi-Wan up with, and his ashen face and shallow breathing had Anakin jump up and get to his Master's side - to check if he was still alive - every time he was about to drowse.

It had been an awful night, Anakin was tired to death and still couldn't let Obi-Wan out of his sight. Deep inside, he knew that if Maul would come back to finish the job, he couldn't do anything either way, but that was one of those thoughts that had no right to exist in his brain, because if they did, the events on Tattooine with his mother could repeat themselves, and he would have none of it. Never again.

Anakin moved to Obi-Wan. He really looked awful. The blood on his back was partly crusted, partly smeared and made a sick pattern of different tones of red that reminded him of Darth Maul's "body art". _Maybe that was on purpose. _The pattern continued at the border of Obi-Wan's trousers, which was stained in a nasty brown, and ended in several smeared blotches on the floor.

How did Obi-Wan always get into these situations? He really had a hand for it. And the worst part, there was no palpable reason wh_y _Obi-Wan evoked this lot of hatred and creativity from his various torturers. On missions, Anakin did rarely see the entire amount of his master's injuries, but what he had seen was already more than enough. Anakin was not sure if he himself did simply not evoke the same kind of hatred or if it was something else why he seemed to always get electrocuted when tortured. Be it Hondo, Riff Tamson, or even Dooku, his enemies were definitely unimaginative concerning him. And now Maul stepped into the line, too, with his force-lightning.

Thankfully, he didn't have to dwell in his thoughts any longer, for Obi-Wan opened his eyes.

"Gnnh?" he croaked and tried to sit up, but Anakin gently held him down.

"Careful, Obi-Wan. Your back is badly injured. We have to get you up slowly."

Obi-Wan nodded, and with common effort, they managed to maneuver him into a kneeling position without too much pain.

"You have to drink, master. You lost a lot of blood." Anakin held the can of water to Obi-Wan, but he was reluctant.

"Isst - "

"No, it's not poisoned," and because he knew that wasn't enough for Obi-Wan, he added: "I tested it myself, I drank shortly after I got conscious again, about five hours ago. I didn't sense anything in it."

Obi-Wan still looked suspiciously at the can.

"Force, master! You are on the verge of keeling over, you can't even hold yourself upright. If you don't drink, you won't make it very long!"

He couldn't believe that he was having this conversation with Obi-Wan, who somehow managed to answer back without being able to speak at all.

But he did finally show reason and lifted the can to his lips. If Anakin hadn't interfered, he would have spilled it. Obi-Wan was barely able to lift his right arm, let alone lift something _with_ it. And Anakin had to admit that tied hands weren't helping either.

They finally managed to hydrogenate Obi-Wan a bit, and his ability to speak came back slowly.

"Thank you...did Maul...?"

"He hasn't come back yet. He can take his time. Guess that I'm next."

"Probably. But you never know...with him."

Anakin only nodded. He urged Obi-Wan to drink some more.

"You look awful." And it was not just Anakin trying to lighten the mood. Now that he could have a look at Obi-Wan's whole face, he found that his master looked really scary with slices around his eye and blood in his beard. It would not have been as frightening for Anakin if the left side of his face hadn't looked completely normal. It was an ambivalence. The Obi-Wan he knew for years on one side, and a tortured, broken Obi-Wan on the other side if he couldn't prevent it from happening. He shuddered.

"Anakin, it can't be that bad," Obi-Wan's scandalized voice hauled him out of his trance, "And you're no ravishing beauty either."

Anakin wagged his head with a small grin. "At least I have potential. You're obviously a lost cause."

The ghost of a smile appeared on his master's face, but he simultaneously began to falter. Anakin forced him to drink some more and helped him to lay back down. The wounds didn't start to bleed again, what Anakin valued as a good sign.

"Anakin, you have to drink, too," Obi-Wan told him when he was settled in a somewhat comfortable position, meaning that he laid on his stomach, head bedded on his tunic again.

Obi-Wan had his wits back sooner than Anakin anticipated, he already recognized that Anakin had left the better part of the water for him. But Anakin knew how to handle his master by now:

"Since I haven't been here as long as you and I haven't lost two or so liters of blood, I think that you need it more. And I won't argue about that."

"Ok, you have a point," Obi-Wan surprisingly admitted, "but you have to promise me something...I know it is hard to ask for it, but if you somehow get the chance to flee and I'm not able to, you have to go - "

"Wait, you want me to _leave_ you? I would never do that! We will go together!" Anakin interrupted harshly. _What was Obi-Wan thinking?_

But his master just continued his serious stare, "I'm not very agile at the moment. And if Maul decides to go on torturing me, it won't get better. If there is even the smallest chance of escape, you have to take it. And fetch somebody to come back for me. If you're lucky, Ahsoka followed us and is already near."

"If there is a way to find us, she will. She is a good pilot and imbibes everything I tell her." Anakin tried to change the topic. He would not leave Obi-Wan behind, and he didn't want to discuss it.

"That is what I fear. She gets quite a reckless streak, and that is not always an advantage. But Anakin, if there is somebody near, wouldn't it be a great mistake to not take the opportunity to contact them if possible? You have to do that for me."

Anakin's thoughts sped in his head, searching for a solution. But the only thing he found was a compromise.

"Ok, but you have to promise the same thing. If Maul tortures me and you get an opportunity, you have to take it, too. That would make it an even trade."

Obi-Wan sighed, palpably not pleased, but he concurred.

"Yes, I guess that's only fair."

"Ok, now that we cleared the formalities, can we maybe begin to establish our escape plan?"

Obi-Wan shot him a surprised look.

"Well, do you have any ideas?"

Anakin flashed Obi-Wan a knowing smile. He would get both of them out, he had already found a weak spot in their cell. "Yeah, as it happens, I have an idea. While you laid around and took a nap, I inspected these force-forsaken binders. Inside the wall is a barely noticeable nose that can function as a switch. The problem is, there are two stops in addition to the current stage. One stop will make the wire that connects us to the wall as short as possible, the other stop as long as possible."

Anakin looked at Obi-Wan expectantly, but he only raised his brows.

"Well then, feel free to take your time. There is no need to haste, we can as well enjoy the nice company here a little longer."

Obi-Wan's voice was so overflowing with sarcasm that Anakin was surprised that it didn't form a puddle on Obi-Wan's tunic-turned-pillow. Anakin took a deep centering breath. Sometimes, Obi-Wan could be a real pain in the ass.

"I wanted to come to that. The mechanism is triggered with the door. Only when somebody opens it, which is only possible from the _outside_, the wires move. There will be as good as no time to do something before the door opens. We have to plan exactly what we want to do...and then there is the problem that I don't know which stop is the right one. If I take the wrong one, we will hang in the air helplessly and Maul will know that we tampered with the wire."

Obi-Wan was not happy about the news, if his scowl was any indication.

"We'll have to plan that very carefully," Obi-Wan stated, "and very accurately. We have to find a way to distract Maul enough so that we somehow get a hold on his lightsaber and cut these binders." He said with a glance to his bound hands.

_Yeah, that's exactly what I just said, remember? _Anakin was starting to get really annoyed with Obi-Wan, but his master didn't notice at all and just continued:

"Meanwhile, I have an assignment for you."

These words from Obi-Wan's mouth had never been foreshadowing anything good.

"Last time you said that, I ended up inside a ship full of droids. Activated droids."

"That was just because you let yourself be seen boarding the ship by the tactical droid," Obi-Wan sighed, "It is really important, Anakin."

Obi-Wan sounded very consumed now and that brought Anakin out of his frustration faster than his master's words. He didn't want to argue any more. Their situation was already bad enough.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked consentiently.

But with Obi-Wan's next words, the frustration was instantly back.

"I want you to remember the layout plan of the corridors, and, most importantly, the position of the hangar. I saw a hologram of it when I tried to escape earlier. If we want to be quick, you have to know it, too."

_And if you don't make it and I have to leave you._ Anakin added the unspoken reason why Obi-Wan really wanted him to memorize the plan. But he was right, it couldn't hurt, every piece of information was a possible advantage, and they had to do everything they could.

"Ok, I'll do it." Anakin agreed, but he wasn't happy with the task. He wouldn't leave Obi-Wan alone if there was any chance to escape together. And if there wasn't... he shoved the thought aside. Maybe after their next torture session it was Obi-Wan who was in better shape and then had to escape alone. A bitter sneer formed on his face. That would be a bad surprise for Obi-Wan, something he hadn't calculated in.

But he should not concentrate on his bad thoughts. He shoved them away and yielded to his fate.


	13. Chapter 13

AN: Yes, I finally managed to post another chapter. Sorry for the long wait, but at least it is the longest chapter I ever wrote. I still won't be able to update regularly, you still have to be patient. But in the meantime, you can leave me a review if you like to, I always enjoy them.

**Chapter 13**

"You know what? I liked it better when you were hoarse."

The only thing that could be worse than their situation, was being in said situation and simultaneously having to take lessons from Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan shot him an exaggerated hurt look from his procumbent position on the floor.

"If you would just concentrate on your task instead of complaining about it, it would be much simpler," he sighed. "So, where do you go if you want to reach the entrance?"

Anakin sighed back, irritated.

"I go to the left, then I take the third corridor on the right side, then the second on the...left...no, the right!, then the fifth on the right side and I follow it straight. See? No problem. May I now finally work on the binders? Or do you want me to tell you the way to the kitchen in case I get hungry on the way?"

His annoyance was clear. Instead of concentrating on the escape plan, Obi-Wan had him recite the way to the hangar and to several other spots for the last two hours. Could Obi-Wan not see how they were wasting precious time until Maul would come back? A part of him wanted the Sith to walk in right away, just so he could rub it in his master's face. No. That was just his annoyance trying to overwhelm him. He always hated being passive while facing a threat, and it was a pretty big threat that would come up to them.

"I'm sorry," Anakin's bad conscience stepped in. He should not blame it on Obi-Wan, just because he was the only other person around. And he was in a bad enough shape already. His master heaved himself up, supporting his weight on his one good arm.

"Anakin, I just want you to get out of this mess unharmed...or," he looked at Anakin's burnt robe at his ribcage. "As unharmed as possible."

Obi-Wan was deadly serious, Anakin could feel it, but it didn't calm him down. If possible, it unsettled him even more. One rarely heard a confession of affection from Obi-Wan, and only in the worst situations.

Anakin went from leaning against the wall to his master's side and reassuringly touched his shoulder.

"Obi-Wan, we will get through it. Like we've done before."

He shot a pained look back to Anakin. "Yes, we survived before, but this is different. It's not about some kind of global conflict, it's about Maul trying to settle old scores. It's something personal and I led you into this whole mess. Into _my_ mess."

So that has been bugging Obi-Wan all the time. He thought that it was his fault. He even evaded his look. That was so typical for Obi-Wan, he always blamed himself, even if there was absolutely no reason.

"Obi-Wan, did you tell me to come here? No, you didn't. I came here by my own choice, and as I am no longer a padawan, I take the full responsibility for my actions. You are not to blame for it," Anakin insistently argued.

Obi-Wan finally glanced up again. He cleared his throat. "You're right. It's just my apprehension. I guess that I'm not in immediate danger of dying, he wants me alive for as long as possible, but you...he will have no qualms killing you."

Anakin had to process these words before he fully got their meaning. He had been right. Their position really must be a dire one if Obi-Wan used that much of brutal honesty.

But Anakin was not a Jedi to easily back down.

"Then there is all the more need for a quick escape." He reassuringly squeezed Obi-Wan's shoulder again and went to his wall to reach for the locking mechanism of his chains with the Force.

"Anakin, stop."

He yanked his head around, furious.

"What is it this now? You said yourself that there is not much time - " Anakin prepared for a rant until he saw Obi-Wan's face. He had become even paler.

"He's coming back. Now," Obi-Wan urged.

Finally, Anakin could hear the metal crescendo of his captor's feet coming along the corridor. _Fierfek!_ Couldn't he have given them just a few more minutes? Now they had to delay their escape until after Maul finished his next torture session. _If I make it that far_, he worriedly added to his thoughts.

Obi-Wan was moving and tried to get up, but he was too slow.

It was Anakin's luck that he sat near the wall, so when the chain slid into the wall, he was just roughly yanked up. Obi-Wan on the other side was too far away from the wall. He was hauled across the room and smashed into the wall fiercely. His back impacted at full speed and he groaned in pain. Anakin could only imagine the blood from the freshly torn open wounds that now stained the wall behind Obi-Wan.

And then the door opened. It was really a very short frame of time which they would have during their escape attempt.

Maul strolled inside, the door closed firmly behind him.

He halted before Obi-Wan, too close for comfort as before.

"How are you feeling, Obi-Wan?"

The false smoothness in the Sith's voice made Anakin want to retch. This bloodthirsty creature before him had no humanity left. It consisted only of rage and darkness.

And now it stretched out its hand and dug its filthy fingers in his master's sore upper arm.

And when Obi-Wan screamed, Anakin screamed, too.

His rage and distress finally overflowed and broke through their inner prison.

"Don't touch him!" he roared.

Maul's head snapped around and he seemed to finally notice him. He tended to ignore Anakin as long as Obi-Wan was around, now he looked at the young Jedi with a mildly surprised look.

Like Obi-Wan. His master was torn between shocked and surprised, a furrow formed between his eyes and he shook his head slightly. Anakin should not further aggravate Maul, he knew what Obi-Wan wanted to tell him – but it was something different to obey him.

But as it really made no sense to make Maul more furious – he seemed to be on a pretty high level of fury in general – Anakin took his own anger and slowly quenched it, under the watchful eyes of Obi-Wan, who sagged in his chains in relief and Maul, who kept his predatorily amused look.

Anakin's breathing came back to a normal level, and the Sith still held his gaze. That was unsettling. Up to this moment, Anakin hadn't been more than a bothersome fly for Maul, or maybe a tool to get to Obi-Wan. The look in Maul's eyes told him that this was now over. He now had the Sith's full attention, and Obi-Wan realized it, too. He stiffened again, now as rigid as the wall behind him.

"So, the Chosen one wants to give me orders..." Maul purred.

That was not good. Anakin had always been "the boy" for Maul. That he now referred to him as "the Chosen one"could only mean trouble. And he was right.

"What do you think, Obi-Wan?" Maul continued as he turned back around to the other Jedi."Is he stronger than a Sith-lord?" He took one step back in Anakin's direction, while still holding Obi-Wan's gaze.

"What will happen -" a sharp snap and the heat radiating off the red lightsaber startled Anakin.

"- when I slice him through?" His voice was now as cold as winter on Hoth.

Anakin was curiously distant from everything. The hot blade singeing his garments over the hip, the morose look on Obi-Wan's face, he didn't really discern it. He had no right to say in the matter. It was between Maul and Obi-Wan. What his master said next would likely determine Anakin's fate. And if he was to die, he would do so. If only Padmé wouldn't be devastated when she heard of his death. He tried to figure out the last words he spoke to her, when he was brought back to reality.

"No. Please. Don't kill him."

Although spoken in a soft voice, the words hit Anakin like a massive cruiser. He had never heard Obi-Wan beg for mercy. It was something Obi-Wan just wouldn't do. He would negotiate in the meanest way possible and convert to aggressive negotiations if necessary, but he was too good a Jedi to beg his nemesis for mercy – even if it was on Anakin's behalf. It was a great victory for Maul, and he knew it.

"So you have still not overcome your debility regarding attachment," the Sith leered. "It's what makes you weak."

And with that he turned to Anakin and struck out for a backhanded blow.

The searing blade aimed for his neck, and Anakin couldn't do more than stare back at Maul defiantly. He would not die scared like a coward. And so he remained silent when the saber seared hot over his armpit, his right shoulder, when it burned agonizingly in his neck, even when he heard Obi-Wan's scream of denial and when the line of fire continued over his left shoulder.

But something was amiss. He still saw the joyful glittering in Maul's eyes, but he should be dead by now, his head shouldn't still be on his shoulders, should it?

The Sith saw his discomposure. His saber snapped off and he stepped to the side, giving Obi-Wan free sight on Anakin.

When he saw that Anakin was still breathing, he slowly relaxed his rigid muscles, although his eyes still spoke of an exceptional alertness. Anakin knew what he thought of. That couldn't be the whole game. Maul had, instead of beheading him, only injured him with a shallow burn. But why? His gaze flickered back to the Sith, whose attention was already consumed by Obi-Wan again.

"You've saved him this time. I will reward you for abandoning your values with his life," he explained. "It was no easy decision to beg me for mercy, was it? Next time, that won't suffice. And don't think it is pure generosity. You've damned him to explore pain as he never did before."

Obi-Wan clenched his mouth, but Anakin knew that he was more relieved to see Anakin alive than he was bothered by Maul's words.

Sure, the promise of unbearable pain – especially by this person - was not to be taken lightly, but they had just bought more time to make their escape.

However, Maul didn't seem to stop just yet. He already had another weapon in hand. One that both Anakin and Obi-Wan were unfortunately familiar with. It was a shock whip, like the slavers on Kadavo used them. Just great. Why was everybody so eager to electrocute him? _Very inventive._

The aghast expression on Obi-Wan's face told him that he might have said that last part out loud. _Oops_.

But Maul didn't even bother and was already busy removing Anakin's leather tabards. That calculating son of a Sith-whore had sliced them earlier with his pretended death blow, deliberately withdrawing the protection they would have given his skin.

Anakin was roughly flung around to the wall. His neck still burned but he guessed that it was nothing compared to what was to come. He took some deep breaths. He wouldn't scream. He wouldn't give Maul the gratification and, more importantly, he didn't want to burden Obi-Wan's conscience any further.

When the first blow came, it was not as bad as he thought it would be, although the burst of electricity through his body after the initial sharp pain of the whip let his body cramp.

The second blow was much worse. While he clenched his teeth to hold in his scream, he asked himself if there was a regulator for the voltage on the blasted whip that was now turned on full power. He considered it very likely.

And while he still panted and tried to release all the pain into the force, the next blow came. This time he was not able to hold back the scream.

_Try to connect with the Force. Blank out the pain. _He tried to concentrate, to reach a trance-like state, but he was brought back by another vicious blow, an aslant line of pain over his back that expanded and converted to an electric shock which sent his body to arch and chafe his wrists at the binders.

After that he fell into some kind of stupor. The lashes coalesced into a swelling and ebbing melody of pain, and he didn't know when it would end, or if it would end at all. The Force was a constant stream through his body and dulled what happened to it. But that brought him to not knowing what he was doing. He had no control over his body. Was he screaming? Or worse, was he crying? He couldn't know. But it didn't matter, as long as he could bear his treatment for the moment. Just once was he brought back again, when another line of fire appeared exactly over an already wounded and raw red stripe. He screamed out his agony once more, and slowly, the wall before him received black dots, which amplified in his field of view until he drifted – finally - into the salvific numbness of oblivion.

* * *

Obi-Wan was not so lucky. Well, he had not been whipped, but that was only a small comfort when Anakin had to take it. He felt every single blow as if it was delivered to him. He knew how it hurt, had experienced it himself already. On Kadavo, one of his greatest setbacks, he had learned to hate these shock devices. Maul could not know it, but seeing it used again brought back a big trunk of memories that he had no intention of revisiting. And with the memories came the realization that his situation then had much in common with his situation now.

In the slave facility, he had for the first time begged an enemy for mercy. It had been for an innocent man, but he had hated the idea of subjugation. And he still did. But his pride was in no way a reasonable factor to sacrifice Anakin.

Anakin, whose black robes were now in shreds, and the red flesh was visible underneath. But at least he was not bleeding, the shock whip immediately cauterized the wounds it inflicted. The perfect weapon for every sadistic bastard who just wanted to torture, not kill.

He could see now, as clear as never before, that Maul was no longer just the Sith-lord he claimed to be – he had become a monster. How he soaked up every bit of Obi-Wan's emotions – a sponge only wettable in hurt, grief and blood, never able to be fully saturated again.

Even when Anakin had gotten limp, Maul delivered some more blows, just to see Obi-Wan's disgust at the prolonged defilement of his apprentice's body.

It actually became harder and harder to release his emotions into the Force instead of dashing them right into the grinning visage in front of him. But he had taken that path – more as a kind of detour – only once, and would never again, whatever the cost. Because the final stage, if you stayed on that dark path, was exactly what stood before him. A monster.

Finally, said monster deactivated the whip and stalked back to Obi-Wan.

"There is one thing I'd like to know. How did you hide your attachment from your precious council? Or have they abandoned their old values by now?" he asked, imitating interest.

It took Obi-Wan a while to find a proper reply. Both because what the Sith said wasn't that false and because the shock of seeing Anakin nearly murdered still sat deeply in his bones.

"Maybe it's the same thing like your attachment to your brother," he countered. "It's not an obstacle until something very bad happens."

And although Obi-Wan knew that it wouldn't get him anywhere good, he continued:

"By the way, how is Savage doing? Haven't seen him around in a while."

He had been right, Maul's eyes were blazing with overflowing hatred. The force-lightning cracked out of his hand instantly, right into Obi-Wan's chest, and the pain and darkness surrounded him once more, promising endless harm. He felt the Sith's voice more in his head then he heard it.

"I should kill you on the spot, but that would still be too gracious. You deserve everything that you will get."

It finally stopped and Obi-Wan was panting heavily, while Maul leaned forward, sinisterly whispering with a nod to Anakin: "And what he will get."

Another shock wave crashed down on the Jedi, burning the dark promise through skin and muscles, through bones, never stopping, always getting more intense and destructive, until his body was but a hurting mass, arched against the cell wall and only held by his chains.

Eventually, it ended, and Obi-Wan fell straight into unconsciousness, not even realizing his captor's satisfied smile when he stood over him for a short while until he left.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

When the murky fog of hyperspace coalesced back into stars and planets, Ahsoka knew immediately that this planet was different. If TER-32, where she lost Anakin, was a dying planet, this disfiguration before her was a dead planet. It still rotated around its sun, a small red dwarf, but it felt like a black hole in the Force.

Yet along with the anxiety came a big amount of hope. She and master Plo had searched dozens of nearby systems by now, and nowhere had been a trace of Maul's ship or her master. She only went to this sun on a hunch. No accessible planet was listed around this sun, but before she searched further away, she had wanted to search even the smallest systems, always in fear of overlooking the planet her master was on.

Now her scanners showed her that the records she had were wrong, and the intangible Force around the planet disclosed something else. Something darker. This planet would be the perfect planet for a Sith - or two Sith and their prisoners. Her heart began to race, and she hurriedly grabbed her comlink.

"Master Plo? I think I've found them. I've found a planet with breathable atmosphere, and he stinks of the dark side."

"Are you sure that they are there?" came the expected question.

Ahsoka stretched her senses, but she couldn't make out her master's presence. She couldn't penetrate the dark aura of the planet at all.

"Not absolutely, but it's our best chance. You have to feel this planet for yourself, I can't really describe it."

"Good. Since I've found no better lead, I will join you and we'll have a look at the planet. Stay put, little Soka."

And he hang up. Ahsoka rolled her eyes. Did he still have to treat her like a small girl, even on a mission of such importance? But she knew that Plo Koon was just being protective about her. Her gaze wandered back to the planet in front of her. Goosebumps formed on her skin, but she ignored it and set all her scanners to work. If she had to wait for Master Plo, she could at least do something useful during that time.

* * *

"Carefully. Give the switch only a breeze of the Force and decide which direction feels better." Obi-Wan tried his best to support Anakin with his task of tampering with the locking mechanism of their chains. He had tried to do it himself, but due to the constricted quality of the Force here, only a full-blood mechanic like Anakin could reach the small devices that controlled the length of their chains.

Anakin pressed against the wall as if he wanted to crawl right into it, his squinted eyes an indication of his deep concentration. And maybe of his pain. It couldn't be easy to stand this erect with a back full of burn marks. Obi-Wan didn't know if he should be worried about how good Anakin could put away his pain; Maybe it was his fault that Anakin had to learn how to bear it.

"I don't know...they feel nearly the same..." Anakin managed.

That was what Obi-Wan had feared. With only minimal Force available, the signals could be too weak for even Anakin to perceive them.

"Try it again. Shut out everything else. The only thing that matters is the switch, and if it feels better when you nudge it to our room or to the wall."

Obi-Wan knew that he was not being very helpful, but there was nothing else he could do. _Where is your wit now, Obi-Wan? Your padawan has to do all the work to get you out of a situation you brought him into. What does your volubility bring you here? Are you going to negotiate terms of release with the switch?_ Obi-Wan had to work hard to bring this inner voice to silence. He had to concentrate on the moment, all other things were subordinate. He would face his inner demos when he was free.

He gazed back to Anakin whose arm was stretched out, hand pressed flat against the wall to be as near as possible to the switch. Suddenly, he exhaled deeply and clenched the hand. He had made his decision.

Assuaged, he opened his eyes and looked at Obi-Wan. "I'm not completely sure, but I had a good feeling when I nudged it towards our room," he declared with a shrug, "now we have to wait if our chains will really get long when the door opens next."

He didn't mention the other possibility, the one where their chains went as short as possible and their attempt would be recognized and most likely be punished gravely. But before he could make a comment about it, he heard the thrumming sound of his captor's robotic feet come near. So soon. He thought they'd have more time.

"Quick, Anakin!" He urged. "He's coming back! Do the same with my chain, and then everything after plan."

There was no time for more instructions, but they were not necessary. They had planned how to do it beforehand. Anakin now concentrated on Obi-Wan's side of the wall, his arm outstretched. This time, he was much faster – no miracle, he already knew that the switch had to be shoved towards their room. He closed his hand not a second too early. They could barely position themselves before the steps stopped in front of the cell and the door was activated.

And that was the moment when everything went awry – well, not everything, just the part concerning Obi-Wan, but that was enough. He was yanked back by the wire around his wrists as it was drawn into the wall. He slid over the floor and then vertically up the wall, until the wire was completely inside the wall, his boots dangling a meter above the ground. And instead of ramming Maul over the crouching form of Anakin – wait, why was _he _not hanging at the wall? - Obi-Wan had to witness how Anakin stared at him in horror and then tried to knock Maul off balance all by himself.

Maul was surprised, but he came over it pretty quick. He tried to ram Anakin, who was clamping at his back, into the wall, but Anakin was quicker. He jumped toward the opposite wall, pushed off it and catapulted himself into the Sith. Maul was shortly disoriented and Anakin could grab his weapon.

Obi-Wan gasped in relief, shortly followed by a hiss of frustration. Maul hadn't brought his lightsaber with him as they had calculated. The weapon Anakin stole him was just the shock whip. Nothing to cut through their chains with. Because even though Anakin had an extended range, he was still connected to the wall by the wire and had no chance to reach the awfully alluring open door. Obi-Wan saw their chances flow away like water through open fingers, but Anakin would not back down yet.

He ignited the whip and – instead of swinging it at the still baffled Sith – he held it to his binders. It was a foolish plan, but it included a minimal chance of success.

Obi-Wan could see blue bolts of electricity in the binders jump over to Anakin, an additional pain to the current already flowing through him, but he didn't stop. It was as fascinating as it was appalling, a battle between the metal of the chains and Anakin's will. Anakin would hang on to extremes, until he would lose consciousness or his life. And like so often when he played with the highest stakes, he won. The binders cracked loudly, the locking mechanism failed and the metal fell between the feet of a heaving Anakin.

"Look out!" Obi-Wan had to scream to bring his padawan back from his stupor. Maul already lunged at Anakin, and he barely dodged.

Anakin quickly glanced to Obi-Wan, their eyes locked and the truth hit them both. They had no chance to loosen Obi-Wan's chains.

There was so much to say, yet there was no time. Their time had been robbed by a Sith Obi-Wan thought he had killed long ago. So he packed all the love, all his appraisal and unintentionally quite a bit of remorse into one word.

"Go."

Anakin didn't want to, but he knew better than to die in vain. And he remembered his promise.

"I - " he started but was at a loss for words. He extended his hand towards Obi-Wan, but Maul was attacking him again. He made a big leap to the door, hesitated again and finally pressed the button to lock the door.

Obi-Wan nearly missed his last whispered words before the door reached its closed position and locked him with Maul.

"I will get help."


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

As soon as Anakin was safely behind the closed cell door, Obi-Wan exhaled deeply, shortly before realizing that a deep breath hurt like dozens of knives twisting in his back. Nonetheless, his biggest concern was gone with Anakin. Thankfully he had once done what he was told. Although he would most likely curse the day and his master afterwards. Because Obi-Wan hadn't told him the whole truth earlier. Sure, he wanted Anakin away to no longer be extorted, but Obi-Wan had no illusions about what would happen as soon as Anakin -Wan would die. The question was only how long it would take, but without Anakin as pledge, Maul would finish him off rather soon.

It had been nearly too painful to see Anakin's last glaze, his immovable determination that he would come back for his old master and rescue him. Obi-Wan would disappoint him one last time, and his friend would be all alone with his grief and his need for emotional closeness within the Jedi Order.

But Obi-Wan was not dead yet, and in moments like these, he felt the strength of the living Force like a cocoon of warmth around him.

_Focus on the moment._

He knew exactly what he had to do. Prevent Maul from chasing after his eluded prey.

The Sith had already recovered from the unexpected attack, and he swiftly typed into the controller at his wrist. He would be able to open the door with it, Obi-Wan was sure. But what could he do? He was still suspended a meter above the floor.

_Use the Force, idiot!_

He must really be a mess if he couldn't think of the Force first. So he tried to quickly decommission the controller.

Well, easier said than done. Here, a simple step in the Force seemed to equal the ascent on an ice-crusted mountain. He had to go deeper into the Force, while accepting that he wouldn't be able to perceive anything else. But it was the Force, and so he descended. Deeper and deeper.

* * *

How did Obi-Wan do that? He got himself into the most awful situations, while he always managed to get Anakin out. And somehow, he had persuaded Anakin into promising him to take the chance of fleeing without him. But his clever plan of self-sacrifice had a twist. Obi-Wan hadn't told him precisely when to flee, and he, Anakin Skywalker, wouldn't give up on his master that quickly.

He continued his work on the door's controller. Which son-of-a-bantha-and-a-hutt kind of engineer did install the power circuits in their cell? Everyone with even the slightest crumb of knowledge knew that the switches in one room had to be aligned towards the room's center, where the power collector was. But this dumb piece of poodoo engineer had him come free, while Obi-Wan was now hanging from the ceiling because the switch had been installed in the wrong direction.

At least did he get the time to turn the switch on Obi-Wan's side of the room into the right direction before he left. Now he just had to reactivate the door, and Obi-Wan would be in a better position to fight. He looked down at the shock whip in his other hand. And they had a weapon, while Maul hadn't. They were able to defeat him now.

At least the money which was saved on the engineers had obviously not been invested in good programmers either. The security code was easy to override and Anakin quickly pressed the button to open the door. First, he heard something hit the ground. Presumably Obi-Wan. Then an angry growl. Maul – or Obi-Wan, if he had already sensed who stood before the door.

Finally the metal slid into the wall and revealed a confused Obi-Wan who laid a bit addled on the bottom while collecting his senses, and Maul, hand at a controller on his wrist, and his frown quickly changing into a smile – if a contortion of the mouth devoid of any happiness could be called a smile.

"Skywalker," he intoned in his calmest voice. "How nice of you to join us again. I already feared that you took your mentor's advice, but I'm glad that you proved me wrong."

Anakin listened to the words only randomly. He was more focused on watching Obi-Wan without being caught. Because his mentor was already back up to the mark, and although he wasn't able to keep the affronted you-disobeyed-me-again-stare to himself, he was ready for action.

Anakin looked Maul in the eyes while laying his splayed left hand on his hip, their secret signal for "wait". There had to be a way to distract Maul further. Regrettably, the room was empty, and he couldn't find anything to use. Unfortunate, but not a too big set-back. He preferred the direct approach anyway.

He activated his newly acquired shock whip and flung it with the swiftness of the Force at Maul's head. Unfortunately, Maul did also posses the swiftness of the Force, and he managed to evade the blow. But Anakin had already used this weapon once, and he knew that as soon as he got a hit on Maul, he would win, for Maul didn't have any weapon he could parry the whip with.

So Anakin delivered a wide blow, and Maul had to use his arm to intercept it, and as anticipated, the flashing cord of the whip wrapped around the Sith's arm. Perfect. Obi-Wan was on his feet in an instant and kicked against Maul's metal claws to further destabilize him.

But they both underestimated the Sith. Instead of writhing in pain from the electricity, he took it without any motion, just an impalpable brightening of his eyes. Obi-Wan bounced off the Sith, probably more hurting his foot than hurting the Sith. Maul didn't even care to recognize it. He was focused on Anakin.

"Do you really think you can best me with my own weapons?", he spat, the electricity still flowing through him, while grabbing the cord of the whip with his hand. Some muscles in his arm and shoulder began to spasm.

"It takes more pain than you can comprehend to form a Sith. There's nothing you can do to me that hasn't already been done."

Anakin was bewildered. He knew how much the whip hurt, but Maul didn't respond to it at all. The spasms were spreading to other muscles, but Maul blatantly ignored them and yanked at the whip hard, while Anakin could only watch his only weapon fly away into the Sith's grip.

Fierfek! What should he do? But before he could lunge at Maul, Obi-Wan beat him to it. He came at the Sith from behind and used the cable of his binders, which he had formed into a loop, to strangle Maul. He would not succeed, he was too weakened, and his hold slackened gravely as Maul ran backwards into the wall and Obi-Wan was struck at his already wounded back.

Obi-Wan desperately held on to the wire and sent Anakin a look. This time, he didn't look like his friend or brother at all, he just looked like the general, the commander-in-chief, austere as never before. Because otherwise, Anakin wouldn't have followed his next command. He wouldn't leave a friend for the second time, but he couldn't disobey his maybe last order either. And when Obi-Wan finally snapped: "Go. Now.", he obeyed. He couldn't help, he didn't have a weapon, it was now back in Maul's possession, and he already tried to lash it towards Anakin, because Obi-Wan was no longer able to constrict his airways. Anakin made the best of the situation, leaped to the door and quickly pressed the button to close it. Again. At least he was free and could call for help if he made it off the planet. He quickly considered if he should destroy the door's locking mechanism completely, but decided that he liked Maul better on his heels than totally mad and alone in a cell with Obi-Wan.

* * *

AN: Sorry for the long wait... I hope you like this new chapter, I was very reluctant with posting it, because it doesn't really drive the story forward. But I couldn't bring myself to deleting it either, so I hope that it was the right decision. A big thanks to all the people who reviewed, you do motivate me a lot!


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